




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 


©f/ajil©qttjrir^t fy. 

Shelf-V\3.85 


A 


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 


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PULL, LADS, PULL !’ ” 






























AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


AUTHOR 


HARPER 


BY 

W. J. HENDERSON 

OF “sea yarns for boys” etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 




cue 


NEW YORK 

BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 
1895 











/ $ “ 3 ¥/£ 2 ^_ 


Copyright, 1895, by Harper & Brothers. 


All rights reserved. 


















TO 

Lieut.-Commander J. D. J. KELLEY, U. S. N. 












































■ 






















































CONTENTS 


CHAP. PAGE 

I. THE CAPTAIN’S SORROW. 1 

II. ORDERS THAT MUST BE OBEYED ...... 9 

III. PREPARING TO OBEY. 14 

IV. PETER MORRIS, COCKSWAIN.19 

V. IN AND OUT OF THE SERVICE.25 

VI. NEWS FROM MID-OCEAN.33 

VII. TROUBLES OF A NEW REPUBLIC.42 

VIII. UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG.48 

IX. THE STARS AND STRIPES AT RIO.58 

X. THE “DETROIT” COMES TO ANCHOR .... 64 

XI. THE THREE FRIENDS MEET . 73 

XII. AN ALARMING OUTLOOK.81 

XIII. CAPTAIN LOCKWOOD’S WARM RECEPTION ... 88 

XIV. MIGHT AGAINST RIGHT.95 

XV. A REFUSAL AND A PROMISE.104 

XVI. THE MEETING OF THE CAPTAINS.110 

XVII. “CLEAR SHIP FOR ACTION!”.118 

XVIII. WAS IT ONLY A DRILL ?.123 

XIX. BREASTWORKS AROUND THE GUNS.133 

XX. READY TO FIGHT.140 

XXI. THE SHOT ACROSS THE BOW.149 




















Vi CONTENTS 

CHAP. PAGE 

XXII. A SLAP IN TIIE FACE.156 

XXIII. THE “WIG-WAG” SIGNAL.163 

XXIV. A COWARDLY PLOT. 170 

XXV. THE CADETS TO THE RESCUE ...... 178 

XXVI. LOST IN THE FOG.187 

XXVII. HAROLD USES STRONG WORDS.193 

XXVIII. A SHELL THROUGH THE PORT.199 

XXIX. AN ANXIOUS VIGIL.> 206 

XXX. PLACED UNDER ARREST.212 

XXXI. TRYING TO SAVE A LIFE.219 

XXXII. A REBELLION IN COLLAPSE.225 

XXXIII. AT SEA ONCE MORE.233 

XXXIV. A HAPPY REUNION.243 












ILLUSTRATIONS 


“ ‘ PULL, LADS, PULL !”’. 

“ MINNIE RETURNED WITH TWO LONG ENVELOPES IN HER 

HAND ”. 

“ ‘ WHY, LOOK! . . . THE COCKSWAIN IS IN TROUBLE NOW ’ ” 
“ GEORGE W’AS ORDERED TO GO WITH THE WHALE-BOAT 
“ ‘ FIRE !’”. 


Frontispiece 


Facing p. 12 
“ 22 

“ 40 

“ 54 


“ * WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH ME NOW . . . . 

“ HAROLD AND GEORGE STOOD UP AT ATTENTION ” . . 

“ * I’LL MAKE YOUR REBEL SKIN SWEAT FOR THIS !’ ” . 

“ ‘ HELP ! HELP !’ HE CRIED ”. 

“ WAS IT ONLY A DRILL ?”. 

“ ‘ GENERAL QUARTERS !’ ”. 

“ THE MAN SENT A BULLET WHISTLING INTO THE 

‘ GUANABARA’S ’ STERN-POST ”. 

“HE MADE THE SIGNAL HALF A DOZEN TIMES IN VAIN ” 
“THE CAPTAIN SAW HIS SON DESCENDING” . . . . 

“ HAROLD SPRANG FORWARD WITH A LOUD CRY ” . . 

“ ‘ THAT LOOKS LIKE BOB . 

“ ‘ RUN IT UP,’ SAJD FRANK ”. 


u 

70 

u 

78 

tt 

92 

u 

116 

tt 

124 

tt 

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156 

tt 

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tt 

184 

it 

204 

it 

230 

it 

248 





































































































AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


CHAPTER I 

THE CAPTAIN’S SORROW 

Captain Hiram Lockwood sat gazing out of 
the window of his unpretentious little parlor 
down the hot and dusty street towards the glint 
of blue which told where the swift tide of the 
North River flowed past. The brown lines of 
tall masts running up and down the shifting 
faces of the white clouds, and the yellow fes¬ 
toons of canvas hanging from dark yards, made 
a picture that might at any other time have at¬ 
tracted his eager attention, but just now they 
were lost on him, hardy old mariner that he was, 
and full of a real love for nautical pictures afloat 
or ashore. His mind was far away, and there 
was a mist in his eyes' that would not clear up 
even when his daughter Minnie came and laid 
her gentle arms about his neck and kissed him. 





2 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Father dear,” she said, “ yon must stop wor¬ 
rying about Bob, or you’ll be sick.” 

“ My dear child,” said the old mariner, “ you 
can’t possibly understand the way a man yearns 
over his own flesh and blood when it’s gone 
astray.” 

“ But we don’t know that Bob’s gone astray, 
do we ?” 

“Well, he’s left his home without his father’s 
consent, child, and that isn’t a good thing for any 
one to do at any time or under any circumstances.” 

“ But I’m sure he’ll come back, father.” 

“ But when, or how ? Oh, the prodigal son is 
a very fine fellow when he’s sighted bearing 
down on his old home, but he makes a heap of 
trouble while he’s adrift.” 

“ But, father, you must cheer up now. Here 
come the boys.” 

Three stalwart young figures were seen ad¬ 
vancing up the street. They were young men 
about nineteen years of age, and all were strong, 
active-looking fellows, with bright eyes and sun¬ 
burnt faces. They came along, keeping exact 
step, with a free, swinging stride and well-squared 
shoulders, which showed the results of sound 
training somewhere. And, sure enough, these 
young fellows had just been through four years 
of the most substantial mental and physical edu- 



THE CAPTAIN’S SORROW 


3 


cation that can be obtained in the United States, 
or, for the matter of that, in all the world. They 
were naval cadets, fresh from the United States 
Naval Academy at Annapolis. One of them, a 
dark youth, with a restless, impatient expression 
on his countenance, was Frank Lockwood, nephew 
of the captain. His father and mother had both 
died while he was in his early days at the Acad¬ 
emy, and now his uncle Hiram was his guardian, 
and with him the boy made his home. The boy 
walking in the middle had a face that was full of 
free, careless enjoyment, as he glanced right and 
left at the open windows of the houses. He was 
George Briscomb, a classmate of Frank. The 
third boy was more thoughtful in appearance 
than the other two, though he was undoubtedly 
not so attractive to look upon. His name was 
Harold King, and he was also a classmate of 
Frank Lockwood. Both these boys lived in the 
Far West, and had decided to spend part of their 
furlough in New York in order to see the sights 
of the metropolis. At the same time they were 
in hopes that they would speedily receive the or¬ 
ders, which for some reason had been delayed, 
attaching them to ships for the customary two 
years’ cruise which all naval cadets must make 
after completing their four years at the Acade¬ 
my, and before coming up for final examination 


4 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


for the grade of ensign. As they came up to 
the house, they waved their hands to the captain 
and his daughter, and entered with laughter and 
gay words. 

“ Where have you boys been ?” asked the cap¬ 
tain. 

“.Oh, off looking at the war-ships in the North 
River,” replied Briscomb. 

“ You know there are a good many of the Co¬ 
lumbian review fleet still at anchor there,” said 
Harold, “and I think it is the duty of naval 
cadets to learn all they can about them.” 

“ Exactly my sentiments,” said Frank, “ only 
they make a fellow feel sore about his own navy. 
Why, that young Brazilian I met out there, 
Lieutenant Roderigo Bennos, who showed me 
over the ship, simply laughed at me when I told 
him I thought her not so good as the New York. 
And the worst of it was he converted me before 
he got through talking to me. I tell you, Uncle 
Hiram, a vessel that carries four 9-inch guns in 
turrets with 18 inches of armor, and has a lot of 
70-pounder Armstrongs to back them, is good 
enough for me. I’d like nothing better than to 
go to war in the Aquiddban .” 

All three boys suddenly stopped talking, and 
looked furtively at the captain, who was watch¬ 
ing them earnestly. 


THE CAPTAIN’S SORROW 


5 


“ You’ve been aboard the Brazilian battle-ship, 
boys ?” he said, gravely. 

“ Frank has, sir,” said Harold. 

“ We didn’t go, because we thought we might 
be in his way,” added George. 

“ And you learned nothing, of course, Frank, 
or you would have told me right away,” said the 
captain. 

“ No, Uncle Hiram,” answered Frank, “ I can’t 
say that I learned anything very definite.” 

“Very definite? Well, did you learn some¬ 
thing indefinite ?” 

“ 1 hardly know,” replied Frank. “ The young 
lieutenant told me that there were two or three 
American boys in the Brazilian navy.” 

“But you gave him some bearings on Bob, 
didn’t you ?” asked the captain, eagerly. 

“ Yes, Uncle Hiram, of course I did. All he 
could tell me was that he had seen a young 
American with reddish-brown hair and very dark 
eyes on board the Tccmandare just before he 
sailed north.” 

“That must be Bob!” exclaimed the captain; 
“ that must be my boy.” 

“Wait a moment,” said Harold. “How old 
was your son Robert when he went to sea ?” 

“Ran away, my lad, ran away,” replied the 
captain. “You may as well put the thing in 


6 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


plain English. I did all a man could do to drive 
all notions of the sea out of his head, and I did 
hope that, being brought up around ships and 
among sailors, he would have seen enough of the 
misery of the business to stay ashore. But he'd 
got his hands in the tar-bucket, and I suppose 
he had to go. Only, if he’d just have come to 
me and said, 4 Father, I can’t stand it, and I’ve 
got to go to sea,’ why, I’d have sent him, though 
I reckon it would have made me feel pretty bad, 
too. But to have him just pack up his dunnage 
and walk off without a minute’s warning, or as 
much as saying good-bye; well, it’s pretty hard, 
that’s what it is—pretty hard.” 

44 Yes, sir,” said Hal, 44 it is hard, and you have 
our sympathy, I can assure you.” 

44 Thank ye, heartily,” answered the captain. 

44 But you haven’t answered my question yet,” 
continued Harold. 

44 How old was he when he went away ? He 
was just fifteen years old, my lad.” 

44 And he’s been gone two years?” 

44 Two years the Fourth o’ July.” 

44 Frank, did Mr. Bennos give you any idea how 
old the boy was that he saw on the Tamandare?” 

44 Well, he said he w&s a big, strapping fellow, 
and had a small mustache.” 

The captain’s countenance became gloomier 



THE CAPTAIN’S SORROW 


7 


than ever. “That couldn’t be Bob,” he said, 
shaking his head; “you know he was small for 
his age, Frank.” 

“But he might have grown, mightn’t he?” 
asked George. “ Sometimes fellows shoot up in 
a most surprising way. Why, there’s Hal. He 
was a regular sawed-off a year and a half ago, 
and now look at him—five feet eleven, and still 
growing.” 

“ But what makes you feel so sure that your 
son is in Brazil ?” asked Harold. 

“ Why, when I made inquiries about him after 
he’d gone,” answered the captain, “ I found out 
that a boy answering his description had shipped 
on a schooner bound for the Windward Isles. 
When she came back, he wasn’t on her, but her 
captain, from what I told him, was certain that 
he’d had my boy in his crew. And I’ll go so far 
as to say that he told me Bob was going to make 
a good; jailor. Well, the worst of it was that the 
boy ran away from the schooner down there, and 
I sent my schooner, the Mary Lockwood , down 
to hunt him up. We learned that he’d shipped 
on a schooner bound for Barbadoes. I’ve been 
a-tracking him in one way or another ever since, 
but I lost all trace of him three months ago in 
Bahia. I couldn’t get anything except a sort of 
a rumor about him there, and it pointed towards 


8 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Rio. I suppose the end of it ’ll be that I’ll have 
to go down there myself.” 

“ I think it would be the best thing you could 
do, father,” said Minnie, who had just entered 
the room. 

“I don’t know, I’m sure,” said the captain, 
relapsing into silence. 

“ It wouldn’t take a great deal,” said Frank, 
“to induce me to resign from the service, and 
ship on the Aquidaban in the hope of finding 
my cousin Bob.” 

“ Why, Frank,” exclaimed Hal, “ you’re talk¬ 
ing nonsense!” 

“Why couldn’t we all three go to search for 
him ?” cried George. 



CHAPTER II 


ORDERS THAT MUST BE OBEYED 

George’s speech was received wkh the sudden 
silence of astonishment. After a few moments 
had passed away, during which time all seemed 
to be lost in reflection, the captain raised his 
head and said: 

“ My young friend, I don’t think I quite see 
the bearing of that last remark of yours.” 

“ And I must admit,” added King, “ that I 
don’t quite understand your idea either, Georgie. 
Are you quite sure you understand it yourself ?” 

“Now just hold on a minute,” said George; 
“ perhaps I did blurt it out a bit hastily, without 
quite reflecting, but all the same I know what I 
mean. Give me a minute or two to think it 
out.” 

They all sat and watched him gravely while 
he endeavored to “think it out.” Finally he 
said: 

“ This is what I mean: Here are Harold and 
I, two classmates and close friends of Frank 




10 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Lockwood. Now his cousin runs away to sea, 
leaving a great sorrow behind him. What I say 
is that it is our first duty, as the friends of Frank 
Lockwood, to join with him in the search for 
the missing Robert.” 

“ But, my boy,” said Captain Lockwood, who 
was evidently much moved by George’s earnest¬ 
ness, “ aren’t you going to think of your own 
future ?” 

“ How do you mean, sir ?” 

“ Why, if you’re going off to hunt for my boy 
Bob, how about your duty as a naval cadet ?” 

u But I think we could get leave of absence 
for two or three months, sir. They don’t seem 
to be in any hurry at Washington to attach us 
to any ships.” 

“And if we could get leave,” said Harold, 
“ what then ?” 

“Why, we’d sail in one of Captain Lockwood’s 
vessels for Rio Janeiro, and begin the search 
there. You needn’t look at me so doubtfully, 
Hal. I mean just what I say.” 

“ I know you do, George, and my heart is with 
you in this plan, but I am trying to examine it 
all round, to see how we can carry it out.” 

“ Captain Lockwood,” said George, “ if we can 
all three get leave of absence, will you furnish 
us with the ship ?” 


ORDERS THAT MUST BE OBEYED 


11 


“ That I will not,” said the captain. 

The boys looked at him in astonishment. 

“Don’t you approve of my plan?” said George. 

“ No, I do not,” answered the captain. “ And 
if I did, I shouldn’t start you down on a sailing- 
craft. Why, you might take up the whole of 
your leave in reaching Rio. If I approved of 
your plan, I’d buy you tickets there and back 
by one of the mail-steamers. But, as I said be¬ 
fore, I don’t approve.” 

“ Why, Uncle Hiram ?” asked Frank. “ Don’t 
you think we can find Robert ?” 

“I don’t know,” said the captain. “ To tell 
you the truth, though, I more than half believe 
that three such bright, smart fellows would 
do it.” 

“ Then why won’t you let us try ?” 

“Because,” replied the captain, “I can’t consent 
to seeing you three boys take a step that might 
get the authorities in the Navy Department 
down on you, and spoil your whole future. You 
take my advice, and don’t you go to doing any¬ 
thing so foolish as to ask for leave of absence 
right at the beginning of your service. It ’ll 
hurt you.” 

The three boys were silent for several minutes, 
and all of them looked very thoughtful. At 
length Harold arose, and said: 


12 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Fellows, you want to find the captain’s son 
for him if it can be done, don’t you?” 

“ Yes.” 

“Well, will you shake hands with me that 
we’ll all three go to South America to hunt for 
him, provided it can be done without asking for 
leave of absence ?” 

“ Certainly.” 

“ Then what’s to prevent us from making ap¬ 
plication to the department to be attached to 
one of the vessels on the South Atlantic sta¬ 
tion ? That ’ll take us right into Eio, and, once 
there, we can easily get ashore and start the 
search.” 

“ Hurrah!” cried George. “ Hal, you have a 
big brain. And wasn’t I stupid not to think of 
that?” 

“ This plan will not call out your disapproval, 
will it, captain ?” said Hal. 

“ Ho, indeed, my lad,” answered the captain, 
heartily. “ I can’t tell you how grateful I am to 
you two boys for your friendship to Frank and 
me. If you find my boy, the good Father of us 
all will surely reward you.” 

“How, fellows,” said Harold, “let us shake 
hands on it.” 

Just at that moment Minnie, who had left the 
room, returned with two long envelopes in her 



MINNIE RETURNED WITH TWO LONG ENVELOPES IN HER HAND. 


« 







•» 




4 
































ORDERS THAT MUST BE OBEYED 


13 


hand. “ Two letters,” she said; “ one for Harold 
and one for George.” 

A single glance at the envelopes told the boys 
what to expect. 

“ Orders!” exclaimed George. 

“ It is too late for us to make application 
now,” said Harold. 

“ Perhaps we sha’n’t need to!” exclaimed 
George, tearing open his envelope. “ Let us see 
where we are ordered to.” 





CHAPTER III 


PREPARING TO OBEY 

George tore open the envelope addressed to 
him, and read as follows: 

Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department ) 
June 20, 1893. f 

Naval Caclet George Briscomb : 

You will immediately report for duty to Com¬ 
mander Willard H. Brownson, aboard the U.S.S. 
Detroit , now at Norfolk. 

Francis M. Bamsay, 
Chief of Bureau of Navigation and Office of Detail. 

“ The Detroit /” exclaimed Harold. 

“The Detroit /” cried George. “We’ll be 
shipmates.” 

“ Are you ordered to her too ?” 

“ Yes, and immediately.” 

“That’s simply too fine for anything,” said 
Harold. 

“ I congratulate you two fellows,” said Frank, 
rather sadly. 



PREPARING TO OBEY 


15 


“ Frank,” said George, “ I’m awfully sorry 
you’re not going with us.” 

“ So am I,” added Harold ; “ but you know it 
was not to be expected that the kings down at 
Washington would consider our wishes. We are 
in the service, and we must obey orders.” 

“ But, boys,” suddenly exclaimed Captain 
Lockwood, “ didn’t I read somewhere lately 
that the Detroit was to be ordered to the South 
Atlantic station ?” 

“ Is that so ?” cried George. 

“ Wait a moment,” said Harold. “ I read that, 
too, but I am quite sure I have read since that 
the order had been countermanded, and that she 
was to remain on the North Atlantic station.” 

“ But even that would mean a voyage to the 
West Indies in the fall,” said Captain Lockwood, 
“ and down there you might get on the track of 
my boy.” 

“You may depend on one thing, sir,” said 
Harold,earnestly; “ we have made up our minds 
to help you look for your son, and wherever we 
go we’ll leave no stone unturned to find him.” 

Captain Lockwood grasped the boy’s hand and 
shook it heartily. 

And now began a time of bustle and hurry, for 
the orders said “ immediately,” and that meant 
that they must be obeyed within twelve hours. 









16 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ The first thing to do is to answer, isn’t it ?” 
asked George. 

“ Of course,” said Harold. “ Hurry up, too; 
we’ve lots to do.” 

Some regulation navy paper and two dignified 
wdiite envelopes were procured, and then the two 
hoys sat down and wrote letters like this: 

New York, June 21 , 1893 . 

Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the 
receipt of the Bureau’s order of the 20th for 
duty aboard the IJ.S.S. Detroit , and will proceed 
in obedience thereto. 

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
Harold King, 

Naval Cadet, U.8.N. 

To Commodore Francis M. Ramsay, U.S.N., Chief 

of the Bureau of Navigation and Office of Detail. 

“ There!” said Harold, as he sealed his up; 
“ now I’ll go right out and post these, and at the 
same time hunt up a railway guide, and see at 
what time we can start for Norfolk.” 

“ And while you’re gone,” responded George, 
“ I’ll be gettitig our things together.” 

“ I’ll help you, if you’ll let me,” said Minnie. 

“ It won’t take long,” answered Harold, laugh¬ 
ing, as he went out. 



PREPARING TO OBEY 


17 


“ A sailor don’t need much dunnage,” Captain 
Lockwood said. 

Frank stood at the window, drumming on a 
pane of glass with impatient fingers. 

“ Come, Frank,” said George, “ be a good fel¬ 
low and help me to pack up.” 

“ Ail right,” he answered; “ but you mustn’t 
blame me for feeling sore because I’m not going 
with you.” 

“I don’t; but just think, you may be or¬ 
dered to the New Yorh when she goes into 
service.” 

“ Not much chance of that. Those gilt-edged 
berths are only for the elect.” 

A few moments later Harold came briskly in, 
with a fine color in his cheeks and a bright light 
in his eyes. “ It’s all right,” he said; “ we can 
leave at ten o’clock to-night, and be there early 
in the morning. I’ve got an expressman who 
has agreed to take our trunks down at that out- 
rageous hour. But I wonder what’s the matter 
with me—I feel so light ?” 

“ I’ll tell you,” said Captain Lockwood: 
“ You’re hollow. You haven’t had your din¬ 
ner.” 

“ But it’s all ready now,” said Minnie. 

Captain Lockwood led the way to the dining¬ 
room, and for a few minutes they were all silent 


18 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


as they attacked the smoking dishes which had 
been prepared under Minnie’s supervision. 

“There!” said George, as he laid down his 
napkin at the close of the meal; “ trunks packed 
and ready to go; boys packed, too, and depart¬ 
ment informed. I guess there’s nothing more 
to do.” 

“ Yes,” said Harold, “ there’s one thing more. 
We must go and telegraph to our mothers.” 

“ That’s so!” cried George, jumping up. “ Come 
on, Hal; let’s go and do that right away.” 

And George rushed out, followed with less 
haste by his more deliberate classmate. 






CHAPTER IV 


PETER MORRIS, COCKSWAIN 

“ How delighted my mother will be when she 
gets this!” exclaimed George, as he hastily scrib¬ 
bled his despatch. 

“ I don’t know that my mother will be so re¬ 
markably glad,” said Harold. 

“ Why not ?” 

“Because I think she had a little hope that I 
would be kept ashore long enough for her to 
make a trip to the East and spend a week or 
two with me.” 

“Well,” said George, speaking slowly and 
rather thoughtfully, “I don’t know but my 
mother would have liked pretty well to see me 
before I got under way for blue water; but 
who knows? We may be tied up in a navy- 
yard for two or three months, and so our moth¬ 
ers may manage to come and see us, after all.” 

“ That’s so, Geordie,” said Hal, speaking af¬ 
fectionately. “ You have a happy way of see¬ 
ing things at their best.” 






20 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“Oh, I suppose that’s because I don’t like to 
look at them the other way.” 

“We must make a move,” said Harold; “we 
have none too much time to spare.” 

As the boys passed out of the telegraph-office 
they noticed a man in the dress of a United 
States sailor standing on the sidewalk, staring 
through the window. The man turned, and, pull¬ 
ing off his cap, scratched his head. Then he 
said: 

“ Beggin’ yer pardon, gentlemen, could ye tell 
me wot the time are?” 

“ Yes, my lad,” said Harold, pleasantly ; “ it’s 
half-past eight. Can’t you see the clock in the 
telegraph-office ?” 

“ Oh, sure! I sees the clock all right, but w r ot 
I doesn’t see are the time. Them there new¬ 
fangled figurations on the frontispiece o’ a clock 
ain’t no good fur to steer by at all. I reckon I’d 
run foul o’ midnight if I was a-huntin’ fur the 
fust dog-watch by one o’ them figurated clocks.” 

Harold and George smiled, and were about to 
pass on, when the man turned again and spoke: 

“ Beggin’ yer pardon the second time, I’d like 
to know wot are the nearest way to the Penn- 
sylvany Bailroad ferry. I reckon my dunnage 
are down there, an’ it are my opinion that I 
ought to be there too.” 




PETER MORRIS, COCKSWAIN 


21 


Harold looked at the embroidered mark on 
the man’s sleeve, and saw that he was rated a 
cockswain. “Cocks’n,” he said, “you just walk 
down to the end of the block, and take a car 
going to your left, and it ’ll take you within a 
block of the ferry.” 

“ Thank ye kindly, sir,” said the man. “ Cock¬ 
s’n I are, an’ cocks’n I’m likely to be. An’ my 
name are Peter Morris, at your sarvice, sir. An’ 
so good-night.” 

With that the sailor started at a rapid though 
lumbering gait in the direction indicated. 

“ I always feel sorry for a sailor wandering 
about a great city at night,” said Harold. 

“ Why ?” asked George. 

“ Because he’s sure to come to grief.” 

“ I don’t see why.” 

“ It’s the nature of the species. Why, look! 
Our friend the cockswain is in trouble now.” 

George’s eyes followed the direction in which 
Harold’s finger was pointing, and saw that the 
cockswain had got into an altercation with three 
men not more than half a block away. The warfare 
of words lasted only a few seconds, and then one 
of the three men aimed a blow at the sailor, who 
instantly began to lay about him most vigorously. 

“Come on!” cried George, breaking into a 
run, “ or he’ll be murdered.” 




22 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“We may miss our train, and not get to Norfolk 
in time,” exclaimed Harold; “ but we mustn’t 
stand by and see a Jacky beaten this way.” 

The two boys went down the street at a 
swinging trot, taking care not to wind them¬ 
selves, and to husband their strength for the 
encounter which they felt must now take place. 

“ Stop that!” cried Harold, as he and George 
came up to the struggling men. 

A fierce reply was uttered by one of the cock¬ 
swain’s assailants, who at once made a desperate 
lunge with his right fist at Harold. The boy 
sprang aside, and countered on the rutfian’s jaw 
with unpleasant force. 

66 That’s it!” cried Peter Morris, the cockswain; 
“ let him have it broadside fur broadside. I kin 
sink this ’ere slob, if you gentlemen ’ll ram the 
others.” 

Harold and George engaged the attention of 
the other two assailants, and for a few minutes 
the battle waged hotly. Both boys had their 
blood up, and they were making good use of 
scientific boxing learned at Annapolis. The 
roughs who had assaulted the sailor were begin¬ 
ning to show signs of distress, and the cockswain 
cried exultingly: 

“ Strike yer colors, ye slobs! Don’t ye know 
when you’re licked ?” 





“ ‘ AVHY, LOOK ! 


THE COCKSWAIN IS IN TROUBLE NOW. 


J )) 




















PETER MORRIS, COCKSWAIN 23 

“Hit ’im with yer brass knuckle, Jimmy!” 
cried one of the fellows. 

“ Ho, you don’t!” exclaimed George, driving 
his right fist into the man’s face. 

“ Cops!” cried another of the men. 

At that very moment, when victory seemed 
to be certain for our young friends, two po¬ 
licemen came running up, and before the 
boys and the sailor could recover from their 
amazement one of the roughs had made a com¬ 
plaint against them, and they found themselves 
under arrest and marched off to the police-sta¬ 
tion. 

“Waal,” exclaimed Peter Morris, “as mv 
mother used to say when she were a-mashin’ 
pertaters, 6 This are simply crushin’!’ ” 

At the station one of the roughs told a re¬ 
markable story of how the sailor had tried to 
snatch his watch, and how the two young men 
had come up and joined in the assault on them 
when they tried to defend themselves. As for 
Peter, he was so astounded that he told a miser¬ 
ably bungling story of the real act—an attempt 
to snatch his pocket-book, which he had incau¬ 
tiously exposed—and the sergeant on duty said 
the seaman was drunk, and ordered all three of 
them to be locked up for the night on a general 
charge of assault and battery. 


24 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“But we shall miss our ship!” exclaimed 
Harold. 

“ Miss your ship! You never saw a ship,” said 
the sergeant, contemptuously. “ Take them down 
and lock them in.” 




CHAPTER V 


IN AND OUT OF THE SERVICE 

“ I protest against this as an outrage!” cried 
George. 

“Ho back talk!” exclaimed the sergeant. 

“ One moment, please,” said Harold, politely. 
“¥e are naval cadets, and are under orders to 
leave Hew York to-night to join our ship, the 
Detroit , to-morrow.” 

“ W’y, that are my case, too,” said Peter. “ I 
ought to ha’ gone this mornin’, but I got lost 
somehow from the crowd that went from the 
Vermont .” 

“ That is a likely story!” said the sergeant. 

“ If you’ll send for Captain Hiram Lockwood, 
he’ll tell you it’s true,” said Hal. 

“ Captain Lockwood ? Do you know him V 9 
asked the sergeant. 

“We are visiting at his house.” 

The sergeant thought a moment, and, as the 
house was only a block away, sent an officer 
there. He returned in a few minutes with the 





26 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


captain and Frank, who promptly confirmed the 
story of the boys. 

“ Well, Captain Lockwood, I know you, and 
this looks quite straight now, but I’d like to see 
these young gentlemen’s orders.” 

Fortunately, the boys had the orders in their 
pockets. They were now released, together with 
the cockswain. 

“ By the great hook block!” exclaimed the 
captain, “ you’ve no time to spare. We’d better 
take a carriage.” 

“ Cocks’n, you go with us,” said Hal. 

A coach was procured, and with the captain 
and the three boys inside and Peter on the box 
with the driver it went rattling away. 

“ We’ll be lucky if we’re not left,” said George. 

“We’ll make it if we don’t break down,” said 
the captain. “ Meantime, boys, don’t worry your¬ 
selves about hunting for Bob. Only if you get 
the chance, do what you can.” 

“ That’s all very fine,” said Frank Lockwood 
to himself; “ but their chances of searching for 
Bob are done. I have no orders, and I’ll not sit 
still in idleness. I am the one who will find my 
cousin.” 

Clang, clang! went the bell in the ferry-house 
as the carriage drove up. The boys bounded out 
and rushed to the ticket-office. 




IN AND OUT OF THE SERVICE 


27 


“ Hold the boat for ten seconds!” cried Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood. And, strange to say, it was done, 
so that the boys and Peter jumped aboard just 
as it moved out. 

Bright and early the next day, attired in ser¬ 
vice uniform with swords and white gloves, the 
two cadets went off in the Norfolk navy-yard 
launch to the Detroit , which was lying off shore. 

“ Isn’t she a little beauty!” exclaimed George, 
gazing with hungry eyes on the cruiser now to 
be his home. 

“ She is that,” answered Harold, heartily. 

Their enthusiasm was well deserved, for the 
Detroit is as neat a craft as ever filled a sailor’s 
eye. She measures 257 feet long, 37 feet in 
beam, and 14 feet 6 inches in draught. She has 
two masts, fore and aft, schooner rigged, with 
the usual signal-yard at the foremasthead. She 
has a top-gallant forecastle and poop, and two 
smokestacks. Her armament consists of two 
6-inch breech-loading rifles — one mounted on 
the poop, and the other on the forecastle, and 
eight 4-inch rapid-fire guns on the poop and 
main decks. She has the usual secondary bat¬ 
tery of Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns. Of course she 
is painted white. All the ships of our new navy 
are white, so that the term “ white squadron,” 
originally used to designate the first squadron 




28 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


of four— Chicago, Atlanta , Boston , and Yorh- 
town —is now out of date. 

“ I wonder what sort of a fellow the first 
lieutenant is ?” said George. 

The executive officer of a ship, who is second 
in command, is always called the “first lieuten¬ 
ant,” no matter what his rank may be, just as 
the commanding officer, though he may be only 
a lieutenant-commander, is always called “ cap¬ 
tain.” 

“ It can’t make any difference to us,” said Har¬ 
old ; “ we’ve got to obey him anyhow.” 

“ Yes, but he can make it mighty unpleasant 
for us.” 

“ Hot if we attend to our duties.” 

The launch ran alongside the starboard ac¬ 
commodation-ladder, and Harold led the way 
up. On reaching the deck both boys faced aft 
and lifted their caps. This salute to the flag 
which floats at the taffrail is never omitted. 
The officer of the deck approached and lifted his 
cap. 

“ Come on board, sir, to report for duty,” said 
Harold, standing attention. 

“ Ah, Mr. King and Mr. Briscomb, I suppose,” 
replied the officer, pleasantly. “ Orderly.” A 
marine in dress uniform and white gloves was 
standing under the break of the poop in front 




IN AND OUT OF THE SERVICE 


29 


of the door leading to the captain’s cabin. He 
came forward and touched his cap. “ Inform the 
captain that Cadets King and Briscomb have 
come aboard.” 

The marine saluted and went into the cabin. 
In a few moments he returned and said to the 
officer of the deck : 

“ The captain says, sir, to please send the gen¬ 
tlemen in.” The boys followed the orderly, who 
led them to the after-cabin. There they found 
themselves before Commander Brownson, a man 
whose grizzled hair and bronzed face bore the 
marks of long and honorable service under the 
flag affectionately called “ Old Glory.” 

“We have the honor to report for duty ac¬ 
cording to orders, sir,” said Harold, as he and 
George handed to their commanding officer the 
letters received from Washington the night before. 

“ I see you have lost no time, young gentle¬ 
men,” said Commander Brownson, glancing at the 
postmarks on the envelopes. “ I trust you will 
always be as prompt and accurate in obeying 
orders.” 

“We shall try to be, sir,” said Harold. 

Something in the quiet modesty of the boy’s 
manner impressed the commander, and he smiled 
pleasantly as he wrote his name across the pa¬ 
pers and said : 



30 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Take your orders to the officer of the deck.” 

And now began a long, arduous summer of 
routine and drill, the monotony of which was 
broken only by the pranks of the older cadets. 
They were bent on making the introduction of 
our two young friends into the service as lively 
as possible, and for weeks the boys were sub¬ 
jected to a series of petty annoyances such as 
they had not known since they were in the 
fourth class at the Academy. They bore it all 
very patiently, however, for their Annapolis ex¬ 
perience had hardened them to this sort of 
thing. The older cadets were under the delu¬ 
sion that the executive officer did not have his 
eye on them; but he was preparing to put down 
the disorder with a stern hand, when an inci¬ 
dent occurred which ended it suddenly and de¬ 
cisively. 

George and Harold had just received a letter 
from Frank Lockwood, and it made them thought¬ 
ful. “ I suppose you fellows have heard of the 
breaking out of a revolution in Brazil,” he said. 
“ I can’t stand this inactivity any longer, so I 
have resigned from the service, and am going to 
Rio Janeiro to hunt for Bob. I shall enlist with 
the insurgent Admiral Mello. I mean to try for 
a berth on the Aquidciban, and I’ll bet you I shall 
see some fighting.” 






IN AND OUT OF THE SERVICE 


31 


The two boys had read this just before going 
on deck for their watch, and they were now stand¬ 
ing near a port on the spar-deck discussing it. 

“ How can he search for his cousin and be in 
the service of the rebels ?” said George. 

“ Poor Frank I” sighed Harold, “ always crazy 
for adventure. He will live to be sorry that he 
has left the service of our flag for that of a for¬ 
eign one.” 

Just then the time arrived for relieving the 
watch, and as George turned to go aft the ram¬ 
mer of the gun beside which he had been stand¬ 
ing was suddenly thrust between his legs. He 
made a violent effort to save himself from fall¬ 
ing, and instead of doing so turned himself 
around, lost his balance, and fell through the 
open port into the water. 

“You brute!” exclaimed Harold, to the now' 
frightened cadet, who had been too playful. 
“ He’s a miserable swimmer.” 

And without pausing to take off his coat, Har¬ 
old jumped into the water. Peter Morris, the 
cockswain, was leaning over the rail at the time 
of George’s mishap, and he yelled at the top of 
his leathery lungs: 

“ Man overboard !” 

In an instant there was a commotion on the 
ship as the officer of the deck sang out: 






32 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Call away the whale - boat! Heave a buoy 
there!” 

“ It are all werry well,” muttered Peter Mor¬ 
ris through his shaggy brown beard; “ but if one 
o’ them boys can’t swim werry good, two of 
’em’s werry likely to git drownded, ’less Peter 
Morris are also in the water, w’ich the same here 
goes.” 

And with that the honest fellow plunged over¬ 
board, and struck out for the spot where Harold, 
weighed down with his water-soaked clothing, 
was making a desperate struggle to keep George 
and himself afloat. 


CHAPTER VI 


NEWS FROM MID-OCEAN 

“ Beggin’ your pardon, sir,” said Peter, seizing 
George by the collar. 

A few minutes later the three were hauled 
into the whale-boat, and were taken aboard the 
ship, where they were at once sent to the sick¬ 
bay to be attended by the surgeon. Peter did 
not seem to be in need of attention, but he was 
much concerned about George, who was almost 
unconscious. The efforts of the surgeon restored 
him, however, and then Harold turned around 
and held out his hand. 

“Morris,” he said, “ I think he would have 
pulled me under if it hadn’t been for you, and 
so you really saved both of us.” 

The cockswain pulled off his wet cap, which 
had stuck to his head, and shook the young offi¬ 
cer’s proffered hand. 

“ Bless ye, sir,” he said, “ it are all in the way 
of a day’s reckonin’. An’ you did me a good 
turn in Noo York, sir.” 

“Well,” said Harold, “I sha’n’t forget this.” 

3 





34 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


This incident was the beginning of as warm a 
friendship as could possibly exist between a sea¬ 
man and two junior officers, for George proved 
to be quite as sensible of the cockswain’s gallant¬ 
ry as Harold. And this occurrence made the 
older cadets realize that they had carried their 
practical joking too far, and there was an end 
of it. 

One morning the bugle seemed to sound the 
reveille with a new vim, and the men tumbled 
out of their hammocks with unwonted celerity. 
For several hours all was bustle and hurry on 
the Detroit's decks. In the midst of it all the 
two boys met their friend, Peter Morris, under 
the break of the forecastle. 

“ Peter, we’re going to sea, sure,” said George. 

“ Werry good, sir, says I. ’Cos w’y: ships is 
built to go to sea.” 

“ I suppose the men are all wondering where 
we’re bound,” said Hal. 

“ Ho, sir; most on ’em knows.” 

“ Then they know more than we do!” ex¬ 
claimed George. 

“A werry good deal more, sir. Some on ’em 
knows we’re goin’ to China to join the Lancaster , 
an’ some knows we’re goin’ to England. Oth¬ 
ers knows we’re goin’ to Hoo York, an’ more 
knows that we’re goin’ to the West Injies. 


NEWS FROM MID-OCEAN 


35 


Werry good, says I. But them as don’t know 
nothin’ don’t make no mistakes.” 

And the cockswain walked away, gravely shak¬ 
ing his head. For some days after this all hands 
were busy in getting stores of various kinds 
aboard. Finally all this work was completed, 
and the Detroit left the wharf to lie at anchor 
in the stream, while she flew a square red flag 
at her fore-truck, signifying that she was getting 
her powder aboard. 

At last all was ready, and to the steady 
haul of the steam-gear the anchor came slow¬ 
ly in. It was secured for sea, and before the 
sun peeped over the distant purple rim of 
the horizon the white hull of the cruiser w T as 
cleaving the green waters off Lambert Point, 
with the oily swell of a smooth sea brimming 
around her fore-foot. Harold gazed straight 
ahead of him, and saw the tremulous ripples 
aglow with the glory of sunrise, and it seemed 
as if the ship were carrying him straight into 
sailors’ paradise. For many days the Detroit 
glided through an ocean of enchanted peace, but 
there finally came a change. 

“Double-lens your eyes to-night, Mr. King,” 
said the navigator, as Harold came on deck for 
the first watch. “ I am steering to make the South 
Point Light on Barbadoes to get a new departure.” 



36 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“Very good, sir,” replied Harold. “I’ll keep 
a bright lookout myself, sir, and see that the 
men don’t soldier.” 

“ If I’m any judge of signs, we’ll have a taste 
of weather inside of twenty-four hours.” 

“'Yes, sir,” said Harold. 

The boy was too well disciplined to venture 
an opinion unasked in the presence of his supe¬ 
rior, but he had noticed that the stars appeared 
to be veiled in moisture, and that there was a 
deep-chested breathing in the long swell from 
the southward and eastward. 

“Barometer 29.80,” muttered George, who 
was in the habit of talking to himself under his 
breath when he was alone; “ wind S.S.E., with 
a force of 4. Character of clouds, stratified; 
percentage of clear sky, 10; thermometer, 76° ; 
wet bulb, 68°; there.” 

George was making the entries in the log-book 
at the end of his first hour on watch. Two bells 
pealed in dreary discord, and the lookouts for¬ 
ward passed the hoarse hail of “ Mast-head and 
starboard lights burning brightly — port light 
burning brightly.” The running lights were 
sending long, flickering shafts of red and green 
out upon the ocean ahead of the ship, and one 
could see the big, shiny billows glancing along 
towards the bows as the ship lifted her ram over 


NEWS FROM MID-OCEAN 


37 


the crests, and then plunged it, with a great roar¬ 
ing and whitening of foam, into the black hol¬ 
lows. 

“ Where was that blessed barometer at eight 
bells ?” muttered George. “ Whew ! It’s com¬ 
ing down with a rush. We’re going to get a 
gale of wind right in the teeth.” 

He went out of the chart-house, and received 
a volley of rain-drops, driven horizontally into 
his face. 

“ Here it comes,” he said, “ all a-piping out of 
the southeast.” 

For twenty-four hours it blew as it knows 
how to blow in the regions around the equa¬ 
tor, and then it cleared up with amazing swift¬ 
ness. The course of the cruiser was set once 
more, and now the men began to suspect her 
destination. 

“ If I might make so bold as to ask, sir,” said 
Morris, who was on duty near Harold, “ what are 
the course ?” 

“ Southeast by east,” answered Hal. 

“ Then this ’ere ship are bound around Cape 
St. Roque.” 

“ You’ve been there, then.” 

“ Bless ye, sir, I bin all over this ’ere bloomin’ 
globe, I have, an’ this ’ere wessel are a-headin’ 
fur Brazil.” 



38 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Of course; every one knows that now.” 

“Wot I hears I hears, an’ wot I knows I 
knows; but wot I hears afore the mast I doesn’t 
alius know, sir.” 

“ Well, Peter, we’re surely bound for Rio, to 
help to protect American interests there. Mel- 
lo’s rebellion has turned out to be a serious mat¬ 
ter, and the Navy Department is going to have 
in Rio Harbor one of the strongest fleets the 
United States has ever got together.” 

“W’ich the same it are werry good. ’Cos 
w’y: them dagos ’ain’t got no respect fur our 
flag.” 

“Well, there’s going to be a different tune 
sung now.” 

“ W’ich are the tune o’ ‘ Yankee Doodle.’ Pree- 
haps it ’ll so happen as we’ll have to take a hand 
in the muss.” 

“ I hope not,” said Harold. “ Fighting the 
Aquidaban would be no joke. Besides, there is 
something else.” 

“ An’ wot might that be, sir ?” 

“ George and I would have to fight against 
our friend and classmate, Frank Lockwood.” 

“ That would be a werry bad business.” 

“ Sail-1-1 ho-o-o!” came the clear cry from the 
foretop. 

The usual questions and answers followed, and 


NEWS FROM MID-OCEAN 


39 


it was learned that a wreck lay almost ahead of 
the Detroit. 

“ Evidently the work of last night’s gale,” said 
Mr. Burrell. 

All hands were now intensely interested, for 
there might be living human beings in need of 
assistance aboard of her. The cruiser bore down 
on the dismasted hulk wallowing pathetically in 
the long, glassy swells. 

“There’s a man, sir!” cried Harold, whose 
keen eyes had detected a hand waving from one 
of the cabin ports. 

“Call away the second whale-boat!” cried 
Mr. Burrell, in short, sharp tones. 

The boatswain’s shrill pipe and hoarse cry of 
“ Away, second whale - boat!” sent willing feet 
scurrying along the sloping deck. The cruiser’s 
engines were stopped and reversed, and George 
was ordered to go with the whale-boat to bring 
olf the wrecked crew. The boy obeyed most 
willingly, for it was his first experience of the 
kind and had all the excitement of novelty. He 
found some difficulty in getting the whale-boat 
under the lee quarter of the schooner, for such 
the vessel was, but finally succeeded in doing so. 
The man who had waved his hand from the 
cabin now appeared, crawling painfully along the 
deck. 


40 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Are you hurt ?” called George. 

“ My knee is sprained, sir,” answered the man. 

“ Where are the others of your crew ?” 

“The Lord alone can tell that, sir. We was 
dismasted in the gale yesterday morning, sir, 
just before daylight, and I never saw a soul 
afterwards. All knocked overboard, sir, and 
drownded.” 

“ Can you get into the boat ?” 

“ I guess so, sir.” 

The man reached the boat with great difficulty 
and much pain. 

“ God bless you, sir, and the flag you’re flyin’! 
It does my heart good to see an American cruis¬ 
er. Are you goin’ to Brazil ?” 

“ Yes. Why do you ask ?” 

“You’re needed there, sir. They’re treatin’ 
Americans shameful down there, though there’s 
some of us in their service, too.” 

George’s heart gave a sudden bound. 

“ Did you know anything about any of them ?” 

v I saw some of them, sir.” 

George rapidly described Robert Lockwood to 
the sailor, and asked if he had heard or seen 
anything of such a young man. 

“ Seen him ? Sure enough, sir. Why, he went 
down there as a hand on that very schooner 
you’ve just taken me off, an’ a good hand, too.” 




GEORGE WAS ORDERED TO GO WITH THE WHALE-BOAT 
































NEWS FROM MID-OCEAN 


41 


“ And where is he now ?” 

“ That’s what I don’t know, sir. He left us 
there, an’ some says he’s shipped with Mello, an’ 
some says he’s with Peixoto.” 

As soon as they reached the Detroit , and 
George had completed his duty, he ran to tell 
Harold the news. 

“ He must be down there somewhere, Hal,” he 
said. 

“ It looks that way,” said Hal, “ and I think we 
have as good a chance of finding him as Frank, 
if not better.” 

“ Anyhow, we can keep our word to the cap¬ 
tain and go on with the search.” 


CHAPTER VII 


TROUBLES OF A NEW REPUBLIC 

The troubles which had broken out in Brazil 
in the autumn were rapidly reaching their cli¬ 
max. It was a curious spectacle, upon which the 
entire civilized world was looking with interest. 
The navy of a large and powerful republic had 
revolted against the government, and, shut up in 
a few stanch cruisers, lay at anchor in front of 
the capital city, which it bombarded with great 
regularity, but little accuracy. The ostensible 
cause of the revolt was the veto by President 
Peixoto of a law making it impossible for him 
to be his own successor in office. The true cause 
was a determination to restore the monarchical 
government in Brazil. Week after week, month 
after month, the insurgent fleet continued its dep¬ 
redations, in spite of the belief that the rebellion 
must speedily collapse for the want of funds 
and munitions of war. Somehow these neces¬ 
saries found their way into the hands of the rebel 
chiefs, but it was not until Admiral Mello was 
deposed and Admiral Da Gama placed in com- 






TROUBLES OF A NEW REPUBLIC 


43 


mand that the latter’s declaration in favor of 
monarchy revealed the true state of affairs. But 
President Peixoto proved himself equal to the de¬ 
mands of the time. Trusted agents in New York 
set about organizing a fleet. The merchant 
steamers El Cid and Britannia were purchased, 
and hastily transformed into cruisers. Both 
were supplied with torpedo tubes and effective 
batteries of rapid-fire guns. In addition to these, 
-El Cid , rechristened Nictheroy , after a suburb 
of Rio de Janeiro, was provided with a dynamite 
gun—a new and untested weapon whose value 
in active warfare was an unknown quantity. 
Admiral Da Gama had once inspected dynamite 
guns in New York, and he had made a report on 
them to his government. He had a wholesome 
respect for the weapon. Furthermore, the agents 
of the Brazilian President had purchased the 
Ericsson submarine gun-vessel, a Yarrow torpedo- 
boat, and five German torpedo-boats. It was 
the rumor in Rio Harbor that the government 
fleet was to assemble in some one of the se¬ 
questered harbors along the northeastern coast 
of Brazil, and thence steal down upon Da Gama. 
Shut up in Rio Harbor, with the shore batteries 
behind him and the loyal fleet blocking the 
entrance to the bay, his position would be pre¬ 
carious. 






44 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


But Da Gama was not disposed to wait in idle¬ 
ness for the decisive blow. He stole in and out 
of the harbor at unexpected times, so that no 
one could tell just where he was. With his fleet, 
consisting of the Aquidaban , commanded by 
the deposed Mello, the Republican Tiradentes, 
Guanabam , Libertade, Tamandare, Trajano , and 
a few smaller vessels, he hovered like a mysterious 
pirate among the islands of the bay, and occa¬ 
sionally opened fire upon the city. 

The harbor of Kio de Janeiro is justly cele¬ 
brated as the most beautiful in the world. The 
entrance is between two bold points, 1700 yards 
apart. Just inside, and nearer to the western 
point, Fort Lage rises out of the water. On the 
eastern point stands Fort Santa Cruz and a 
fixed white light, visible six miles. On the west¬ 
ern point are Forts San Joao and St. Theodosio. 
The harbor extends almost north and south. 
Outside of the eastern point of entrance, about a 
mile to the southeast, is Flora Point, from which 
runs back a spur of mountains nearly 1100 feet 
high. Three-quarters of a mile to the south¬ 
ward of Fort San Joao the Pao de Acucari, or 
Sugar Loaf, lifts its dome-like back 1270 feet 
above the level of the sea. 

Inside the entrance the harbor widens out. 
On the easterly side, behind Jurujuba Point, a 





TROUBLES OF A NEW REPUBLIC 


45 


little over a mile north-northeast of Fort Santa 
Cruz, opens the bight of Three Fathom Bay— 
a large expanse of shallow water, bordered by 
San Francisco Xavier Beach on the east, and 
by Carahy Beach on the north. The northern 
boundary of Three Fathom Bay is a neck of 
land half a mile wide, at whose outer extrem¬ 
ities are two forts, Boa Yiagem and Gravata. 
Kow comes another bight, forming Praia Grande 
Bay, on which fronts the town of Nitheroy or 
Xictheroy. To the northward of Nictheroy is 
Arcia Point, a bold headland rising to a height 
of 550 feet, and beyond this is a cluster of hilly 
islands. 

Inside the entrance on the western side is a 
small bight, bordered by Urea and Botofogo 
beaches, and extending to Flamingo Point, one 
mile west of Fort San Joao. Flamingo and Frei- 
ras beaches extend to the northward a mile and 
two-thirds, when the city of Rio de Janeiro is 
reached. Five-eighths of a mile off shore to the 
southeast lies the island of Villegaignon, on 
which there is a strong fort. Two hundred 
yards off the point at the northeastern extrem¬ 
ity of the city is the Isla de Cobras, on which 
there is a fine dock 385 feet long. Between 
these two islands is the anchorage for men-of- 
war, and to the northwest of Cobras Island is 




46 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


the anchorage for merchant vessels. Rat Island, 
on which the Custom-house stands, is 250 yards 
outside of Cobras Island. Enchadas Island faces 
the city a little over five-eighths of a mile north 
of the Isla de Cobras. To the northward the 
harbor opens out into a magnificent bay. The 
coast-line around Rio de Janeiro Harbor is 
over sixty miles in extent. There are from 
eight to ten fathoms of water on the bar at 
the entrance, while inside the depth runs 
from ten fathoms several miles above the city 
to twenty-eight half a mile north of Fort 
Lage. 

These facts are necessary to a thorough under¬ 
standing of the incidents about to be described 
in this story; but they give no idea of the en¬ 
chanting beauty of Rio de Janeiro Harbor. 
Those who have ascended the Hudson River in 
a steamboat may conceive some faint idea of the 
glories of Rio Harbor by calling to mind the 
passage of the river between the mountains near 
West Point. But at Rio you come in from the 
open sea and behold the mountains apparently 
rising out of the rich blue waters. As you pass 
in you are close enough to see the luxuriant 
wealth of the tropical vegetation on the sides of 
the acclivities, and when you have entered the 
bay you are in a vast and splendid natural 





TROUBLES OF A NEW REPUBLIC 


47 


basin, with the dwellings and towers of the city 
rising proudly on your left against a back¬ 
ground of flashing waters and olive mountain 
slopes. 








CHAPTER VIII 


UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG 

We must now go back to a time previous to 
the events of the last chapter. The Aquidaban 
was lying at anchor with her consorts far up the 
harbor off Engenha Island. The silence and 
luscious warmth of the tropical night were 
about her. Near at hand the dark hulls of the 
other vessels of the fleet showed black and 
threatening against the starlit waters. At some 
distance away lay the war-ships of the foreign 
powers represented in Rio Harbor. Great Brit¬ 
ain, the haughty “ ruler of the seas,” had three 
cruisers there; Italy, three; Germany, two; 
France and Portugal, each one. “ Old Glory ” 
was not represented in the bay except by unfort¬ 
unate merchant ships. These were compelled to 
endure all kinds of high-handed treatment by 
the insurgents, who asserted that they were con¬ 
veying stores to the government. 

No sound, except the clinking of the cables as 
the vessels rode to the tide, and an occasional 
snatch of sailor song from a wandering boat, 





UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG 


49 


broke the silence that surrounded the dark men- 
of-war. Leaning over the quarter-rail of the 
Aquidaban was a young man whom his Naval 
Academy friends would hardly have recognized 
as Frank Lockwood. The deep sunburn on his 
face did not hide the heavy hollows under his 
eyes, nor the deep lines around his mouth. Frank 
looked ten years older than he was on the day 
when Harold and George had parted from him 
in his uncle’s house. The boy stared at the 
blinking lights of the distant city, and heaved a 
sigh that was almost a groan. A light footstep 
followed by a tap on the shoulder caused him to 
start. 

“ Ah, Roderigo,” he said, “ is it you ?” 

“ Si, amigo mio. You seem not happy,” said 
Lieutenant Roderigo Bennos. 

It was the young officer who had shown the 
boy over the Aquidaban in New York Harbor. 

“No, I’m not,” replied Frank, shortly. 

“Why are you not happy? Here we fight 
much—all the time—every day. That is what 
you say you want.” 

“ But such fighting!” exclaimed Frank. “We 
lie hid two-thirds of the time behind some of 
these accommodating islands. About five o’clock 
in the afternoon we steam out, and in a most 
leisurely manner throw a few shells over in the 


50 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


direction of the city. Perhaps we hit the sea¬ 
wall in front of the Custom-house; perhaps we 
hit the heights beyond the town. We knock olf 
for supper, smoke our pipes, fire a few more 
shells, go back to our anchorage, and — go to 
sleep. Pshaw! Why, an American naval officer 
would scare this whole fleet out of the water.” 

“ ’Sh-sh! Not so loud. Not that kind of talk. 
You will be heard ; then court-martial. The ad¬ 
miral thinks to tire out the President.” 

“Well, he’ll never tire out Peixoto by plug¬ 
ging those hills full of iron.” 

“ You will see. We shall win yet.” 

“ How is it possible ?” demanded Frank. 
“Here we are, practically penned up in these 
ships, and unable to get a footing on the land. 
Every time we try it we are driven back with a 
considerable loss, and we have no men to spare.” 

“ That will be all right,” replied Bennos, con¬ 
fidently. “ The land column will march up from 
Kio Grande do Sul. Then we will win.” 

Frank shook his head, and gazed gloomily out 
over the still waters. Bennos laid his hand on 
the boy’s shoulder. 

“ I know what makes you unhappy,” he said, 
kindly. 

“Do you?” said Frank, with awakening in¬ 
terest. 





UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG 


51 


“ Yes,” continued the Brazilian. “ You are not 
happy because you have no heart in this fight.” 

“ That’s true, Roderigo. What difference does 
it make to me whether we win or not? I’ve 
shipped with Admiral Da Gama, and I’ve taken 
his money. I’ve sold myself, and I’ll stick to 
my bargain. My body belongs to the admiral, 
and I must shed my blood for him if necessary. 
But what do I care for his success ? I’m a mis¬ 
erable hireling. And that is not all.” 

“ No ?” 

“No. I came down here to look for my miss¬ 
ing cousin Robert, and I can get no chance to 
do anything.” 

“ But you have learned something, amigo mioP 

“ I know that a lad answering his description 
deserted from the Tamandare when she joined 
the insurgents, and is now in the service of Pres¬ 
ident Peixoto on shore, where I cannot reach 
him.” 

“ But when we have conquered—” 

“ I may find his dead body, slain by my com¬ 
panions in arms.” 

“I am sorry,” said Bennos, taking the boy’s 
hand. 

At that moment the bugle sounded. 

“ Ah!” exclaimed Frank. “ The usual evening 
fireworks, eh?” 




52 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Yes; we shall bombard the city some more.” 

The two young men went to their stations at 
the 70-pounder Armstrongs. The heavy guns 
in the turrets were under the command* of more 
experienced officers. Steam was already up, and 
the Aquidaban, followed by three of her consorts 
in single column at distances of two hundred 
yards apart, moved slowly and majestically out 
from the cover of the island. Frank listened 
- with some contempt to the directions of the 
division officers. He had already learned to 
understand all the commands in the strange 
tongue, and he smiled when he heard the range 
given out. 

“ Going to pepper the hills again,” he said to 
himself. “ Well, this gun of mine is out to hit 
something before this night’s work is done. I’m 
sick of this fooling.” 

An American man-of-war’s man would have 
been amused at the leisurely way in which the 
Brazilians went about the work of warfare, as 
exemplified in the business of bombarding. Ten 
minutes after the Aquidaban had taken up her 
position there was a brilliant flash, lighting up 
all the surrounding waters with a red glare, a 
deep-mouthed roar, and a rattling jar of the 
whole ship. Frank peered out of his port. 

“That’s one of the forward nine-inches,” he 


UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG 


53 


muttered, “and I think I know just where to 
look for the explosion of the shell.” 

The projectiles of the modern rifles do not 
leave a trail of fire behind them as they go 
speeding through the air, because they do not 
carry the old-fashioned fuse which is lighted by 
the burning of the powder in the gun. They 
are exploded by a percussion fuse, and they rush 
through the darkness of night unseen. 

“ There she goes,” murmured Frank, as he 
detected a flash of red light far up the hill¬ 
side behind the city. “ They’ll have an iron 
mine up there in the year 1900. Now we’ll 
see the Rejpublica plant a shell in the same safe 
spot.” 

Boom ! The Republicans gun spoke, sarcasti¬ 
cally commenting on the ship’s name by arguing 
in favor of monarchy. 

“ That’s it,” soliloquized Frank. “ Same old 
place. I wonder if the people in the Bua di 
Ouvidor take off their hats as the shells go over?” 

All the members of Frank’s gun crew were 
gathered at the ports watching the firing, so the 
young man went quietly to the breech of the 
gun and- reduced the range indicated by the 
breech-sight by 750 yards. 

“ There,” he said to himself. “ There’s going 
to be a surprise-party this evening.” 


54 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


The firing continued for half an hour, each 
ship in turn discharging one gun, before it was 
Frank’s turn. He smiled slightly as he gave the 
word : 

“ Fire!” 

The gun captain jerked the lanyard, the gun 
roared, and the 70-pound shell whistled off 
through the gloom. A few seconds later a dull 
report, a flash of light, and a crash near the wa¬ 
ter-front of the city showed that Frank’s subtrac¬ 
tion had been most accurate. The effect of that 
telling shot was as if a hornet’s nest had been 
struck. Lights flashed along the water-front and 
up the hill-side. Tongues of fire shot out far 
down the bay, followed by heavy reverberat¬ 
ing reports, showing that Fort Santa Cruz had 
opened fire on Fort Yillegaignon. Bugles blared 
and drums rattled, and for half an hour, as the 
hills hurled the myriad noises back and forth 
from peak to peak, pandemonium reigned. Then, 
as suddenly as they had begun, the forts relapsed 
into a sullen silence. The flashing of lights along 
the water-front of the city ceased. The order 
“ Cease firing” was signalled from the Aquidaban 
to her consorts, and the three ships moved sol¬ 
emnly back to their anchorage behind the island. 

“You are respectfully invited to attend our 
exhibitions of fireworks every evening from 



i 



! 




i 





































UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG 


55 


nine to ten,” said Frank, under his breath, as he 
watched his crew securing the gun. “ Coffee 
and cigarettes will be served out after the exer¬ 
cises.” 

The boy shook his head, and added, bitterly : 

“ I’m an idiot! How could I suppose that I 
would fight with enthusiasm under a foreign 
flag? Oh, Harold, old boy, if I had only had 
you alongside to heave me a line and keep me 
from going adrift when I was about to ship for 
Rio!” 

“ All secure, sir,” reported the gun captain, 
and Frank repeated the report to the division 
officer. The bugles should have sounded the re¬ 
treat, but discipline was not stern in the insur¬ 
gent fleet, and the division officer carelessly com¬ 
manded Frank to dismiss his crew. 

“Leave your quarters,” said the boy to his 
men. Then he went out on deck again and re¬ 
sumed his unprofitable occupation of leaning 
over the quarter-rail and communing with his 
own spirit. Fortunately Bennos soon joined 
him, and led his thoughts into higher channels. 

“ Come, amigo mio ,” he said. “ You must not 
think any more to-night. We must go below.” 

They went down to the half-deck, as that part 
of the gun-deck immediately in front of the 
wardroom is called, and there they found a gay 



56 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


party of young officers smoking cigarettes, 
laughing, talking, playing the guitar, and other¬ 
wise behaving as if a rebellion against one’s 
country and a night bombardment were holiday 
amusements. One of the younger men, noting 
the sober look on Frank’s face, began to sing, in 
badly broken English, “ Annie Eooney,” which 
he had learned while the ship was in New York 
waters. Frank broke into a hearty laugh, and 
said: 

“ Oh, I’m going to turn in. Good-night, you 
fellows. Hope to see you all at the bombard¬ 
ment to-morrow evening.” 

“ Good-night, sharp-shooter!” called one of the 
young men after him. 

Frank was up bright and early the next morn¬ 
ing, for he had not yet ceased to enjoy the beau¬ 
ties of the tropical forenoon. Bennos joined him 
on deck. A few minutes later they observed a 
good deal of hustling about on some of the for¬ 
eign war-ships. Men were seen going to the 
mast-heads, and reports were signalled from one 
ship to another. 

“ I wonder what those fellows can see ?” said 
Frank. “ Let’s get permission from the officer 
of the deck to go aloft. We can see over the 
point of the island.” 

The permission was granted, and the two 


UNDER A FOREIGN FLAG 


57 


young men were soon at the foremast - head. 
Far down the bay a white ship was cutting the 
blue waters with slow and steady prow. 

Frank gazed at her steadily for a few minutes, 
and then his face turned pale, while his lips 
trembled with strong emotion. 

“ What is the trouble ?” asked Bennos. 

“ Can you not see ? Yonder comes the United 
States cruiser Charleston. She is sent here to 
protect American interests against us — against 
me! And here am I, enlisted to fight against 
my own flag!” 

“ But surely there will be no fighting, amigo. 
There is but one American ship.” 

“ But one! Do you think the government at 
Washington will stop there? I tell you, Rode- 
rigo, there are more ships to follow that one. 
What have I done with my life ?” 




CHAPTER IX 


THE STARS AND STRIPES AT RIO 

The white ship far down the bay seemed to 
have stopped her engines. At any rate, she bare¬ 
ly kept steerage-way, but just to the northward 
of Fort Lage she drifted idly. Suddenly Frank 
saw what looked like a small ball rising to her 
fore-truck. 

“ Going to salute the flag of Brazil,” said Frank 
to his companion. 

“ Si ; but the forts must answer, not we.” 

“ Of course not. You won’t catch the captain 
of the Charleston paying any deference to Ad¬ 
miral,Louis Phillipe Saldanha da Gama.” 

The little ball at the Charlestons fore-truck 
broke out into the green square and yellow dia¬ 
mond of Brazil. At the same instant a streak of 
blue shot out from her starboard bow and burst 
into a swirling cloud over the water, while the 
sharp, incisive report of a Hotchkiss 6-pounder 
set the tired echoes jumping about the hills once 
more. The port gun speedily followed the star¬ 
board, and the two were fired alternately. 


THE STARS AND STRIPES AT RIO 


59 


“Twenty-one,” said Frank, “and fired as if 
by clock-work. That’s not an admiral’s salute, 
Bennos.” 

“The Charleston does not salute us.” 

“ Ah!” exclaimed Frank; “there goes old Santa 
Cruz in reply. Oh, glory! what a salute! It 
sounds as if the fort were lame.” 

“ I think she is,” said Bennos, smiling. 

“The Brazilian flag is stowed away in the 
quartermaster’s locker by this time,” said Frank. 
“ Now the ship is coming on up the bay.” 

It was such a calm, clear morning that there 
was no difficulty whatever in detecting the 
smother of foam under her bows, which told 
that her speed had increased. 

“ She’s a sweet ship,” said Frank, with pride. 
“ I fell in love with her when I saw her in New 
York Harbor. She looks like a fighter.” 

“ Si, si, amigo mio,” said Bennos, warmly; 
“ that’s a good ship.” 

“But not as good as the Aquidaban, eh?” 

“ No, not that good.” 

“ No, she hasn’t any armor, and her guns are 
lighter than ours. But I’ll tell you one thing, 
Boderigo.” 

“ What’s that?” inquired Bennos, with interest. 

“She’d hit us a heap oftener than we’d hit 
her.” 





60 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“You could hit her,” said the Brazilian, sig¬ 
nificantly. 

“ Yes, I could hit her,” said Frank. 

“ And you would, eh ?” 

Frank turned a trifle pale under his sunburn 
as he answered: 

“ What’s the use of talking about that, Boderi- 
go \ You know that there isn’t going to be any 
fighting between the American ship and any of 
ours.” 

“No, the American will not fight. He will 
let a foreigner insult his flag. We Brazilians 
would rather die!” 

Frank made no reply to this, for it would have 
been useless. It would have been impossible to 
persuade Bennos that an American commander 
might be found who would take the responsibil¬ 
ity of using powder and shot without waiting for 
permission from Washington, or that the national 
government w 7 ould support any such officer if he 
were found. We Americans are very boastful; 
but the foreign powers—even the small Central 
American states—have not had much respect for 
our flag until very lately. 

“ I wonder where she’s going to anchor,” said 
Frank. 

“Up the bay, near the other foreign ships. 
She must keep out of the line of fire.” 


THE STARS AND STRIPES AT RIO 


61 


“ Yes, and a good way out of it, too. If she 
isn’t astern of us when we open up with our bat¬ 
teries, she’s very likely to get thumped.” 

“ You do not like the way we shoot ?” 

“We can’t shoot at all in this fleet, Roderigo. 
Why, my class at the Naval Academy could have 
given lessons to your gunners.” 

Bennos smiled a good-natured smile, and turned 
his attention to the Charleston. She was now 
above Cobras Island, and was still steaming ahead 
at a six-knot gait. Frank’s heart beat with 
mingled emotions of pride and grief as he got 
his first fair look at the stars and stripes floating 
over the taffrail. 

“Alas, for my folly!” he muttered. “I ought 
to be afloat with that flag, not with this.” 

Bennos overheard his words. 

“ I do not blame you for feeling so,” he said. 

A few minutes later the Charleston ranged 
abreast of the Aquidaban. Frank straightened 
himself up as he stood in the top, and raised 
his cap. 

“ What is that for ?” asked his companion. 

“ I salute the flag of my country, which I ought 
to be serving,” replied Frank. 

“ That is right,” said Bennos. 

“ Right!” exclaimed Frank. “ Are you serv¬ 
ing your country’s flag, or are } r ou a rebel ?” 


62 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ I fight for the best. I want my country to 
have an emperor. A republic is not good here.” 

“ Koderigo, I ask your pardon. I know you 
are enlisted in what you believe to be the right 
cause.” 

The two young men were again silent for a 
few minutes as they watched the Charleston. 
Then, for some unaccountable reason, Frank 
turned his gaze towards the entrance to the 
harbor. 

“ Look!” he cried, pointing. 

Bennos followed the injunction, and saw a 
noble bark-rigged white cruiser coming in be¬ 
tween the forts. 

“ I know her!” exclaimed Frank. “ The 
Newark /” 

“Four thousand tons; twelve 6-inch guns,” 
said Bennos. 

“ Uncle Sam means business,” said Frank, ex- 
ultingly. 

“ Only two,” said Bennos, smiling. 

At that moment they were hailed from the 
deck, and at once descended from the top. An 
orderly handed Frank a letter, which he eagerly 
opened. As he glanced over it his face became 
clouded. 

“You have bad news?” asked Bennos. 

“ I hardly know,” answered Frank. “ My un- 


THE STARS AND STRIPES AT RIO 


63 


cle and cousin are coming to Rio in search of 
Bob. I am afraid Uncle Hiram will find this a 
troublesome port for an American merchant 
vessel.” 



CHAPTER X 


THE “ DETROIT ” COMES TO ANCHOR 

We left the Detroit plunging over the swell 
left by a southeasterly gale. We meet her again 
sailing through an enchanted ocean on a fine 
tropical winter morning. She was alone on the 
unruffled bosom of the South Atlantic, for as 
far as the eye could see there was nothing else 
in sight save sky, water, and a few birds wheel¬ 
ing across the burnished waste. The cruiser was 
reeling off ten knots an hour with the regularity 
of clock-work. Her clean white sides were re¬ 
flected in grotesque distortion in the ribbon-like 
waves that streamed sternward from her cutting* 
prow, where the lucent blue broke into fountains 
of silver that leaped almost to her hawse-holes. 
She rolled slowly and gently, and as she swayed 
the sunlight came and went in gay flashes along 
the slender chases of the broadside guns, w r hich 
seemed to peer out of the ports like living creat¬ 
ures sniffing the strange airs. A canopy of light- 
brown smoke spread from the tall yellow stacks 
far away astern and made shadows on the sea, 



the “detkoit” comes to anchor 65 

out of which an occasional flying-fish sprang with 
a silver flash like a shooting-star. The sun beat 
down upon the decks with a heat that would 
have been distressing had it not been for the 
breeze the vessel’s progress created. 

Mr. Burrell was pacing up and down the 
bridge with his hands behind his back, his dark- 
blue uniform making his form stand out in sharp 
silhouette against the bright sky. The man at 
the wheel stood stolidly gazing into the compass- 
bowl and occasionally giving the spokes an ap¬ 
parently careless twist; but the broad, straight 
path of foam astern told that he was holding 
the ship to her course. A dozen or more white- 
garbed figures sprawled in the sun on the fore¬ 
castle-deck, while under the awning on the 
quarter-deck several officers sat enjoying the 
breeze. The marine on duty as orderly before 
the cabin door looked uncomfortable in spite of 
the summery appearance of his white helmet 
and duck trousers. The rescued sailor had been 
transferred to a steamer bound for New York. 
George Briscomb was walking up and down the 
starboard waist; and Harold King was leaning 
against the forestay, looking straight ahead, and 
letting his eyes feast on the splendid blue of the 
tropical sea. The whole ship’s company had an 
air of indolence, as if smitten by the languor of 



66 AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 

the southern clime, and a touch of fitting senti¬ 
ment was added by the mellow tones of a negro 
sailor’s voice singing “’Way Rio.” But just as 
the kiss of the Prince in The Sleeping Beauty 
threw the whole slumbering castle into a clatter 
of wakeful action, so a sudden clear and musical 
cry from aloft swept away the languor, and 
strained to alert tension every figure aboard the 
ship. 

“ Land, ho!” 

“Where away?” cried Mr. Burrell. 

“A point off the starboard bow, sir,” came the 
answer. 

Harold straightened up and sent a keen gaze 
forward. The sprawling figures on the forecastle- 
deck sprang to their feet and looked ahead. 
The man at the wheel forgot the compass-bowl. 
The officers on the poop-deck ran to the rails on 
either side. George sprang to the platform of 
one of the Hotchkiss 6-pounders. Every eye 
on the ship was gazing eagerly ahead. The 
door of the navigator’s room swung open, and 
Mr. Flower hastened to the bridge. 

“ That should be the mountain-tops on Flora 
Point in range with Pai Island,” said he. “ The 
captain laid the course to pass outside of the 
island, and I got a Sumner line early this morn¬ 
ing bearing for the westerly end of it.” 


the “detkoit” comes to anchor 67 

Commander Brownson now came forward and 
mounted the bridge. “ How far away are the 
mountains ?” he asked. 

“About forty-three miles, according to the 
time they were sighted from the mast-head, sir,” 
answered Mr. Flower. 

“ And how does that agree with our reckon- 
ing?” 

“Pretty well, sir,” answered the navigator. 
“We are perhaps five miles nearer to the coast 
than we thought.” 

“Hum; but as I laid the course so well out 
we have run into no danger. We shall be up 
with Pai Island in four hours or a little more. 
How far is it thence to the entrance of the 
harbor ?” 

“Four miles nor’west by nor’,” answered Mr. 
Flower, “with nothing less than seven fathoms.” 

“ Mr. Crane will take the bridge when we are 
abreast of the island,” said the commander, turn¬ 
ing to descend from the bridge. 

“Very good, sir,” said Mr. Flower. “Mr. 
King.” 

“Aye, aye, sir,” answered Harold, starting 
suddenly from his position near the foot of the 
forestay. 

“ Go to the mast-head and tell me what you 


see. 



68 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Aye, aye, sir,” replied the boy, with one foot 
already on the sheer-pole. His lithe form sprang 
up the ratlines, and in a few seconds he was in 
the top. 

“ Hills, sir,” he called, “ and plenty of them on 
both bows, with a narrow opening dead ahead 
of us. It looks as if it might be a river’s mouth, 
sir.” 

“ Where do you find the highest point ?” 

“Just clear of the starboard bow, sir.” 

“ Let me know when it is dead ahead. Port 
a little.” The last injunction was to the man at 
the helm. 

“ Meet her, sir, meet her,” cried Harold. 
“ How, steady as you are, sir.” 

“ Yery good. Lay down from aloft.” 

“Aye, aye, sir,” was the boy’s reply, as he 
dropped down the ratlines like a young cat. 

“ The high peak will be in direct range with 
the westerly end of Pai Island,” said Mr. Flower 
to Mr. Burrell. “ Keep the ship heading for it 
till you raise the island, and then call me.” 

Mr. Flower went below, and a few minutes 
later, when four bells struck and George went to 
the chart-house to make his entries in the log, 
the blue mountain - peak was visible from the 
bridge. 

“The rift in the hills that Harold reported 


the “Detroit” comes to anchor 69 

will be the entrance to Rio Harbor, won’t it ?” 
asked George, after making his report to Mr. 
Burrell. 

“Yes; and we shall be at anchor with the 
Charleston and Newark this afternoon.” 

George went aft, thinking a little more serious¬ 
ly than was his custom. “ Frank is there, I sup¬ 
pose,” he reflected, “aboard the Aquidaban. I 
wonder how he likes foreign service ?” 

At a quarter of two o’clock Pai Island, with 
its bosky hills rising 325 feet above the sea, was 
on the Detroits starboard beam. Mr. Crane and 
Mr. Flower appeared on the bridge, and the 
latter stretched the chart of Rio Harbor on the 
chart-board. Harold and George were off duty, 
but they remained on deck to enjoy the glorious 
beauties of the entrance to the harbor. As the 
cruiser passed up the bay George said: “ I don’t 
see anything of any war-ships.” 

“ Neither do I.” 

The same thing had just occurred to the group 
of officers on the bridge. They were anxiously 
scanning the short stretch of water between 
Villegaignon and Cobras islands, set down on 
the chart as the anchorage for men-of-war, but 
it was clear. 

“ They’ve gone farther up the bay, to be out of 
the range of firing,” said Commander Brownson. 


70 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Here they are !” exclaimed Mr. Burrell. 

“ And there’s the Charleston /” said Mr. Mower. 

“ With signals flying. Here, Mr. King,” called 
Mr. Crane, turning and catching sight of Har¬ 
old, “ bring my signal-book as quickly as possi¬ 
ble.” 

Harold sprang to obey the command, and was 
on the bridge with the blue-covered book in a 
few seconds. Mr. Burrell took a look at the 
flags on the Charleston through his glass. In 
the meantime the quartermaster on watch had 
got the answering pennant from the locker, and 
had bent it on the signal halyards ready to 
run up. 

“ Two-thirty-seven,” said Mr. Burrell, lowering 
the glass. 

“ Anchor in column,” read Harold from the 
book. 

“ Run up your pennant,” said Mr.' Burrell. 

A quarter of an hour later the Detroit lay at 
anchor. 

“Look, Hal. Look!” exclaimed George. “Yon¬ 
der lies the rebel fleet.” 

“And there’s the Aquidahan! I wonder if 
we shall see Frank ?” 

“ Them as doesn’t see folks sometimes hears 
’em,” remarked Cockswain Morris, who was pass- 


































the “Detroit” comes to anchor 11 

“ Talking of hearing,” said George, “ I won¬ 
der if Frank has heard anything of Kobert.” 

At that very moment a tall, bronzed young 
man, with reddish-brown hair and dark eyes, 
was pacing up and down a narrow cell in a pris¬ 
on in Rio. A rattling of bolts warned him that 
he was about to receive a visit from his captors. 
The door swung open, and an officer entered, 
while four soldiers halted outside. 

“ Come!” said the officer. 

“ What is to be done with me now ?” asked the 
young man, impatiently. “ Haven’t I told you 
over and over again that I’m no spy; that I de¬ 
serted from the Tamandare as soon as she joined 
the rebels, and came ashore to offer myself to 
the government service ?” 

“ We have other information,” said the officer; 
“ and now we are told that plans are being made 
for your escape. You are to be taken to another 
place of confinement.” 

The boy said no more, but marched out be¬ 
tween the soldiers. He was blindfolded and 
handcuffed, placed in a vehicle, and driven over 
several miles of rough road. When he was left 
alone in his new prison he peered out between 
the bars, and saw that he was somewhere among 
the hills back of the city. 







72 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“I suppose I shall stay here till the war is 
over, if they don’t take a notion to shoot 
me,” he muttered, as he buried his face in his 
hands. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE THREE FRIENDS MEET 

“ Mr. King l” 

“ Aye, aye, sir.” 

Harold was superintending some slight work 
on the forecastle-deck when he was called by 
Mr. Harniss. 

“ I want you and Mr. Briscomb to take the sec¬ 
ond cutter in tow of the launch, and go to the 
wharf to bring off some stores.” 

“Very good, sir,” said Harold. 

A few minutes later the boats were along¬ 
side. Harold jumped into the steam-launch, and 
took in tow the cutter, with George in the stern- 
sheets. Neither boat carried a full crew, but 
had just enough men to handle them in case of 
emergency. All available space and carrying 
power was reserved for the stores to be brought 
off. The strong, chubby little launch pulled the 
heavy cutter along at a lively pace, and as the 
foam rolled past them, and their speed created a 
refreshing breeze, the two boys recovered from 
a depression which had settled upon them dur- 




u 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


ing the days of dull routine drill and work sub¬ 
sequent to their arrival. It was the first time 
they had secured an opportunity to go ashore. 
Liberty was not often given, on account of the 
unsettled condition of affairs in the city. Amer¬ 
ican seamen were especially liable to assault by 
the disaffected elements of the populace, because 
there was a suppressed but general feeling that 
in some way th'e power of the United States 
would sooner or later make itself felt in the 
struggle. Harold and George understood the 
condition of affairs, and they were careful not 
to permit their men to leave the wharf. Their 
stores having been obtained, they got under way 
again for the ship. As they were passing the 
point of the island near which the insurgent 
fleet was anchored, they saw a whale-boat urged 
over the smooth water by brawny dark arms. 
An officer stood in the stern, waving his hand. 

“Say, Hal,” called George from the cutter, 
“ I do believe that’s Frank.” 

“ So do I,” answered Hal. 

. “ Well, we must stop and have a few minutes’ 
chat with him, old man.” 

“Yes, of course. We are away inside of the 
time we were allowed for getting these stores.” 

It was Frank. He had been walking the deck 
of the Aquidaban when his eye chanced to fall 


THE THREE FRIENDS MEET 


75 


on the two boats of the Detroit passing the point. 
Knowing the ways of the American navy, he 
supposed that they would be in charge of ca¬ 
dets, and of course there was a chance that the 
cadets might be his friends. So he ran to the 
quartermaster on duty, and borrowed his binoc¬ 
ular. The moment he levelled the glass at the 
boats he saw that the two young officers in 
them were Harold and George. He went at 
once to the executive officer of the ship, and said: 

“Two boats from the American cruiser De¬ 
troit have just gone ashore. They are in com¬ 
mand of two classmates and dear friends of 
mine. I’d like very much to speak to them, but 
of course they can’t come aboard. Will you give 
me permission to go off in a boat and speak to 
them as they are returning ?” 

It has already been intimated that discipline 
was by no means perfect in the rebel fleet. 
Moreover, the executive officer had eaten a 
very hearty dinner, and was sleepy. So he re¬ 
plied : 

“ Oh, certainly. Go on.” 

Frank reported the matter to the officer of the 
deck, and the boat was at once ordered away. 
As it approached the two boats from the De¬ 
troit, Harold brought them to a rest. A min¬ 
ute later all three boats were drifting together. 


76 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Well, this is a jolly go!” exclaimed George, 
as he shook Frank’s hand. “ Who would have 
thought that we three fellows would meet in 
Eio Harbor ?” 

“I never expected to see you fellows down 
here,” said Frank; “ but I’m mighty glad that 
you’re here.” 

“ We are not so tremendously glad about it,” 
said Hal. 

“ Why ?” asked Frank. 

“ Because we are here to help protect Ameri¬ 
can interests, and I understand they are in more 
danger from the reb — from Admiral Da Gama 
than from President Peixoto.” 

“ That may be so,” said Frank, “ but what dif¬ 
ference does that make to you ?” 

“ Why, Frank,” exclaimed George, “ we might 
have to fight against you.” 

Frank hung Ms head and looked sad. 

“ You didn't think of that possibility when 
you enlisted in this service, did you, Frank?” 
asked Hal. 

“ Ho, of course not. If I had I shouldn’t have 
enlisted.” 

“ Besides,” said George, “ the chances are that 
there will not be any trouble.” 

“ There ought to be,” said Frank. 

“ Why ?” asked both the others. 


THE THREE FRIENDS MEET 


77 


“ Because the flag of the United States means 
nothing to these people down here. I’ve seen it 
insulted half a dozen times since I’ve been here 
by the man under whom I am serving. I am 
almost tempted to desert.” 

“ But you wouldn’t do that!” exclaimed Har¬ 
old, at the same time glancing inquiringly at the 
Brazilian seamen. 

“ Never mind them,” said Frank. “ They don’t 
understand a word of anything except Portu¬ 
guese and Spanish. But why should I not de¬ 
sert, rather than see my country’s flag in¬ 
sulted ?” 

“ Because you have pledged yourself to serve 
under the insurgent flag. Your word must not 
be broken,” said Harold. 

“ But you might resign,” suggested George. 

“That would look like running away,” said 
Hal. 

“ Not if he explained his reasons,” said George. 

“ No, it wouldn’t work,” said Frank. “ They 
wouldn’t accept my resignation. Educated na¬ 
val officers are too scarce, Bennos says.” 

“Bennos? Is that the one we met in New 
York?” 

“Yes; and you’ve no idea what a good fellow 
he is. He has almost made life endurable for 
me aboard yonder ship.” 




78 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Remember us both to him, Frank,” said Hal, 
“ and give him our kindest regards.” 

“ What’s that ?” exclaimed George. 

The deep reverberation of a gun rolled up the 
bay, followed by another, and yet others. All 
hands turned their gaze southward, where they 
beheld a white ship with a three-masted schoon¬ 
er rig coming up the bay. 

“ What ship is that ?” asked Frank. 

“ Don’t you remember her ?” cried Hal; “ that’s 
the San Francisco. She was not expected till 
next week.” 

“ That makes four ships for Uncle Sam in Rio 
Harbor,” said George. 

“ Yet there is no match for my prison there,” 
said Frank, nodding towards the Aquidaban. 

“ That’s true enough,” said Hal; “ but the 
Aquidaban may not always be lying at anchor 
in Rio Harbor. She may have to go elsewhere.” 

“ I hope and pray that she may do so, if there 
is to be trouble with the United States fleet.” 

The three boys sat silently watching the San 
Francisco as she came speedily up the bay. 
When she was opposite the Aquidaban she ran 
up the Brazilian flag and saluted it. The oflicers 
of the insurgent flag-ship seemed somewhat tak¬ 
en aback, but they contrived to reply within rea¬ 
sonable time. 


IIAROLD AND GEORGE STOOD UP AT ATTENTION 


















































THE THREE FRIENDS MEET 


‘79 


“Well,” said George, “that doesn’t look as if 
there was going to be trouble.” 

“ I am afraid it does,” said Hal; “ trouble for 
Admiral Stanton, who’s in command of the San 
Francisco and now, also, of our fleet. I shouldn’t 
be surprised if Uncle Sam invited him to come 
home.” 

“ Then you don’t think the government at 
Washington will recognize — us,” said Frank, 
putting a bitter emphasis on the last word. 

“I’m afraid not, Frank,” said Harold. “Our 
government is committed to the friendly sup¬ 
port of republics.” 

Bang! went another gun down the ba}^ This 
time all three boys sprang to their feet, for all 
were thoroughly surprised. 

“ It’s a white ship!” exclaimed George. “ A 
big one!” 

Harold had a pair of marine glasses, and he 
raised them to his eyes. 

“ The American flag !” he exclaimed. 

“Then it’s the armored cruiser New York!” 
cried George. “ Frank, old man, the Aquidaban 
will find her an ugly customer!” 

“ I pray not,” said Frank, sadly. 

“ Poor old man!” exclaimed Harold, sympa¬ 
thetically. 

The three bo}^s now silently watched the mag- 



80 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


nificent war-ship steaming in majestic state up 
the harbor. Through his glasses Harold could 
see that the water-fronts of Rio and Uictheroy 
were black with people waving their hats and 
handkerchiefs. The rigging of the British men- 
of - war looked like a lot of spider - webs well 
stocked with flies, while the decks of the other 
war-ships were crowded with sailor-men gazing 
eagerly at the latest example of Uncle Sam’s 
new navy. The American merchantmen manned 
their yards and ran up all their flags, while across 
the waters came ringing three hearty Yankee 
cheers. The cruiser dipped her flag in answer 
to all these tokens of welcome, and steered stead¬ 
ily for the anchorage indicated by the San Fran¬ 
cisco's signals. With her three yellow stacks, 
her two turrets showing the four 8 - inch guns, 
her frowning broadside of 4-inch rapid-fire guns, 
and her double fighting-tops, she looked a picture 
of naval prowess. As she glided by the launch 
and the two cutters within a biscuit’s throw, 
Harold and George stood up at attention, their 
hearts beating high, while they read across her 
rounded stern the words “ New York.” 


CHAPTER XII 


AN ALARMING OUTLOOK 

“W’ich the same I begs your pardon, sir,” 
said Peter Morris, who was acting as cockswain 
of the launch, “ but as my brother Bill used to 
say, clocks ’ain’t got no patience, an’ won’t wait.” 

“ That’s so, Peter,” said Hal; “ we must be 
moving back to the ship.” 

“ Wait a minute,” said Frank. “ I’ve not told 
you my most important news yet.” 

“I thought you had something on your mind,” 
said George. 

“ It’s about your cousin Bob,” added Hal. 

“ Partly, and also about my uncle Hiram and 
Minnie.” 

“ What is it, Frank?” asked George. 

“ Have you learned anything about your cous¬ 
in ?” inquired Hal. 

“Wait a bit, fellows, and I’ll tell you the 
whole of it. I find now that I was doubly fool¬ 
ish in enlisting in this service. Hot only am I 
serving a foreign flag, but I am practically a 
prisoner on the water. As far as I can ascertain, 




82 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


ray cousin Bobert—if our man is really he—de¬ 
serted from the Tamandare when the rebellion 
broke out, and is now in the service of Peixoto. 
I can’t go ashore to make a single move in the 
search for him, because I am an officer in the 
rebel fleet. And even if I could, I shouldn’t 
know what to do with him if I found him, for 
Bennos tells me the insurgent admiral would 
have him shot for deserting.” 

“ Well, old man, that’s pretty rough,” said Hal. 

“It are wot we calls afore the mast,” said 
Peter, “ hangin’ atwixt wind an’ water.” 

Frank looked inquiringly at Hal, who said: 

“ Cockswain Peter Morris is a privileged char¬ 
acter with us; he saved our lives in Norfolk 
Harbor.” 

Frank shook hands with the honest seaman, 
and then continued: 

“I wrote to Uncle Hiram telling him all 
about this matter, and three days ago I received 
his reply.” 

“What did he say ?” asked Hal. 

“Well, the fact is,” answered Frank, “he’s 
coming down here.” 

“ What, to Bio!” exclaimed George. 

“Yes; he can’t stand the anxiety any lon¬ 
ger,” said Frank, “and he’s coming down to try 
and carry on the search himself.” 



AN ALARMING OUTLOOK 


83 


Frank drew the letter from his pocket and 
handed it to his two friends. It had been for¬ 
warded from one of the West-Indian islands, 
and read thus: 

“Dear Frank,— You will be surprised, I know, 
when you read this letter, for I write to tell you 
that I am about to start for Rio, where I expect 
to meet you. Captain Bisbee, of my bark, the 
Alma , has been taken sick, and will be unable to 
go out this voyage. So I am taking advantage 
of the situation to command the bark myself, 
and so go down to Rio to see if I can’t do some¬ 
thing about finding my boy. If what you tell 
me is true, I sha’n’t have so very much trouble 
about finding him, though I may not be able 
to get him released from the government ser¬ 
vice right away. Still, from what I read in the 
papers, the rebellion don’t amount to much, and 
will soon be over. I’ve made up my mind to 
bring Minnie along with me. I haven’t any one to 
leave her with, and I haven’t the heart to put her 
in a boarding-school. So, as the Alma has about 
as tidy a cabin as any clipper-ship that sails out 
of New York, she’s going to be my passenger. 
So when you get this letter, Frank, I’ll be 
taking a squint to windward once more, and 
heading for low latitudes with as fine a keel 







84 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


under me as ever was laid. Minnie sends you 
her love. Your affectionate uncle, 

“ Hiram Lockwood. 

“ P.S.—We are lying at anchor at St. Thomas, 
and I just found this letter in one of my pockets. 
I thought I’d sent it long ago. We fell in with 
a hard puff from the no’theast the other day, and 
carried away our flying jib-boom. So I made St. 
Thomas to get another. I’m going to send this 
letter by the steamer that leaves to-day. Min¬ 
nie’s learning to be a right good sailor, and be¬ 
fore we get home I reckon she’ll be able to keep 
her weather eye lifting with the best of them.” 

“ What a brave, cheerful man he is in spite of 
his trouble!” said Hal, warmly. 

“ Yes, he is, God bless him!” said Frank. 
“ But I wish he knew the exact condition of af¬ 
fairs down here.” 

“ Is it so bad for the merchant ships ?” asked 
George. 

“If you weren’t just cadets,” said Frank, a 
little impatiently, “ you’d know what was going 
on. Merchant ships in this harbor haven’t had 
any protection at all. Our gunners are rank, 
and there have been some pretty wild shots that 
must have scraped the varnish off some of their 


AN ALAKMING OUTLOOK 


85 


spars. Worse than that, I don’t think our of¬ 
ficers care a rap if we do hit a bark or two. 
England’s the only power we’re afraid of, and 
we think she sympathizes with us. But there’s 
something else. Have you noticed the wharves ?” 

“ Yes,” replied Harold. “ They’re all unoccu¬ 
pied.” 

“ And the merchant ships,” continued Frank, 
“ are spending a lot of money on lighters to land 
their cargoes. That’s because Admiral Da Gama 
refuses to let the ships go to the wharves, for 
when they are there he can’t fire on the city on 
account of their being in the line of fire.” 

“ I hadn’t thought of that,” said Harold. 

“ No,” said Frank, “ and I didn’t pay much 
attention to it myself till I got this letter. 
Now I know Uncle Hiram. He will not come 
down here without a cargo; and he’ll insist on 
going to a wharf. Besides, he must be in con¬ 
stant communication with the city if he’s going 
to find Bob; and so—” 

The boy’s speech was rudely interrupted by 
the shriek of a shot passing over the boats. 

“ Give ’way, lads!” he cried; “ it’s one of the 
government’s armed tugs, and she’s after me.” 

“How dare they fire on our flag?” exclaimed 
George. 

“W’ich the same they didn’t,” said Peter; 





86 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ ’cos w’y: I took it clown. It are jest as well to 
keep dark w’en yon are a-conwarsin’ with rebels.” 

“ But they’ll catch him,” said Hal. “ He has 
half a mile the start, but his men can’t row him 
fast enough.” 

“ W’en in doubt play trumps are wot I says,” 
said Peter. “ Let’s go an’ give him a tow.” 

It was a hazardous thing to do, for if the boys 
had been detected by their superiors they would 
have been liable to court-martial for “taking 
sides ” in the quarrel. But they did not stop to 
think of that. The little launch puffed away, 
and soon overtook Frank’s boat. 

“ Give us your painter, old man!” cried George; 
“ we’ll tow you close to the Aquidaban .” 

The line was taken, and the launch began to 
tow the two cutters. 

“ They’re a-gainin’ on to us,” said Peter; “ but 
a starn chase are a long chase, as the plough 
said to the farmer.” 

At this instant a heavy report rang out, and a 
shot from the Aquidaban whizzed across the 
bows of the tug. 

“I reckon that’ll take four knots off her 
speed,” said Peter, looking back over his shoulder. 

“Edge her off towards the point yonder, 
Peter,” said Harold. “We must not be seen 
from the decks of any of our ships.” 


AN ALARMING OUTLOOK 


87 


“ Werry good, sir, but that are a course w’ch 
’ll keep the tug out o’ the Aquidaban's range.” 

“ Never mind that. We can go ashore if we’re 
hard pressed.” 

The chase now became exciting. The tug was 
gaining on the three small boats, and was firing 
rapidly. Shots were falling all around the boats, 
but fortunately none struck them. The course 
which Harold had indicated was gradually plac¬ 
ing a point of the island of Engenha between 
the fugitives and the rebel war-ships. 

“ I’m afraid you’ve missed it, Hal,” said George. 
“ They’re gaining on us.” 

At that moment the Brazilians in Frank’s 
boat gave a cheer, and the light cruiser Trajano 
was seen moving out from her anchorage behind 
the point. She fired two shots, and the govern¬ 
ment tug turned tail and puffed away towards 
the city. The boys shook hands and separated, 
Frank’s crew pulling leisurely back to the Aquid- 
aban , while the two cadets made a wide detour 
and approached the American fleet from another 
quarter. 



CHAPTER XIII 


captain lockwood’s warm reception 

About the same time a fat brown rooster 
poked his head out of a coop on the deck of a 
vessel flying over the sea towards Rio, and 
loosed a lusty crow. 

“ Dat’s a berry fine woice yo’s got, chile, but 
yo’ don’t sing no moah in dese hyah latitoods.” 

And Kibo, the cook, plunged his arm into the 
coop and dragged the struggling, squawking 
victim forth. 

“ Hi yah! He bully fat!” exclaimed Kibo. 
And then he began to sing : 

“ Hoop te loo loo ! W’at’s de mattah ? 

Flap yo’ wings an’ kick yo’ feet; 

Fry ’im in de grease an’ battak ; 

Cracky! but ’im good to eat!” 

“ Belay that jaw tackle there, you blathering 
heathen, and get at your foul-smelling cookery!” 

Captain Lockwood’s voice scraped along the 
deck with a rumble like a chain-cable. His land 
manners had slipped from him like an old wrap¬ 
per, and he was a sturdy, deep-chested, hump- 




captain lockwood’s warm reception 89 

shouldered old sea-dog, with a blazing red face 
and a jolly gray eye. He balanced himself on 
his columnar legs, and from a station near the 
foot of the mizzen-mast he let his gaze slowly 
roam over the swelling curves of white canvas 
that towered away through double tops and top¬ 
gallants to the naked royal-yards. The fresh 
breeze abeam was heeling the Alma down till 
the water boiled and hissed around her lee chan¬ 
nels. The long South Atlantic surges were toss¬ 
ing their hoary heads high in air as they raced 
down upon the bark, and ever and anon as she 
plunged down a foaming steep she would hurl 
a sheet of green water into shivers of smoky 
spray across her forecastle-deck. 

“ Oh, she’s a sweet lady to smoke through it, 
isn’t she, Minnie ?” said the captain, as his 
daughter appeared on deck. 

“ Yes, indeed, papa. What is she making ?” 

“ A good twelve, I’ll be bound,” said the skip¬ 
per, taking a squint over the side. 

“ Twelve it is, sir, by the last heave,” said the 
mate. 

“ It’s simply glorious !” exclaimed Minnie. 

The girl looked a picture of healthy enjoy¬ 
ment. Her wavy hair streamed in pretty dis¬ 
order around her well-tanned cheeks, and her 
eyes sparkled like stars. 




90 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ We must be raising the land pretty fast at 
that gait,” said the captain. 

“ Yes, sir,” answered the mate. “ You can 
see it plain enough from the forecastle.” 

Land had been sighted some time before, and 
the bark was ratching along with the Brazilian 
mountains peering over the sea under her lee 
bow. 

“ But we’ll have to clew up our top-gallants 
if this breeze freshens any,” said the skipper. 
“ There’s a bit too much weight in that sea.” 

“ Oh, I hope not!” said Minnie. “ I love to 
see the bark lie down to her work and toss the 
spray this way. She seems to be alive.” 

“ That’s a real sailor’s daughter,” said the 
mate, laughing. 

“ By faith, she’d carry the masts out of a ship 
if she was the captain,” said her father, smiling. 
“ Clew up, Mr. Ball; we’ll do as well under 
shorter canvas.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” said the mate, and the next 
minute he was bawling orders that caused the 
two roaring stretches of canvas away aloft to 
fold their white wings. The bark was now on 
an easier keel, but she seemed to go quite as fast; 
and within three hours she had Flora Point on 
her starboard bow. 

“ Oh, how wonderful! How glorious!” ex- 


captain Lockwood’s warm reception 91 


claimed Minnie, as she stood, with clasped hands 
and parted lips, gazing at the rich green moun¬ 
tain slopes. 

“ I knew you’d like it,” said the captain. “ I’m 
glad I brought you, Minnie.” 

“ So am I,” she answered. 

Captain Lockwood pointed out to her the 
various beauties of the harbor, the forts and 
the islands, as the bark, under shortened canvas, 
sailed slowly past Fort Lage. The vessel was 
full of the busy rattle of blocks as the men made 
her ready for coming to anchor. 

“ Yonder lies Yillegaignon Island,” said the 
captain. “We’ll run pretty close along there, 
and you’ll get a good look at the fort. Let her 
luff a little!” 

“ Luff it is, sir,” answered the man at the 
wheel. 

The bark glided under the walls of the fort, 
and suddenly a voice rang across the water: 

“ Keep off!” 

Captain Lockwood sprang to the weather-rail 
and shouted: 

“What’s the matter? Are we doing any 
harm ?” 

His reply was a puff of smoke, followed by the 
sharp crack of a rifle, and a bullet whistled 
across the deck. 






92 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Go below, Minnie!” exclaimed the captain, 
thrusting his daughter towards the cabin door. 
Then he sprang on the rail and bellowed : 

“ You miserable scoundrel! I’ll make your 
rebel skin sweat for this!” 

A derisive laugh rang out from the caissons, 
and another shot was fired, the bullet this time 
cutting a small round hole in the tack of the 
spanker. 

“ Well, this beats the Dutch !” exclaimed Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood, as the bark slipped out of range 
on her way up the bay. 

“ It seems to me, sir,” said the mate, “ that 
the rebels are running things in a pretty high¬ 
handed style down here.” 

“ I should say so. But you can make up your 
mind to one thing, Mr. Ball.” 

“Yes, sir; what’s that ?” 

“ I’ll not sit still and be shot at on my own 
peaceable decks. I’ll carry this business to some¬ 
body that ’ll have a word to say about it if I 
have to go all the way tc Washington.” 

“ Bark ahoy!” 

“ Hello! What now?” 

A tug manned by insurgents ran alongside, 
and Captain Lockwood was informed that he 
would have to anchor his vessel out in the bay 
and lighter his cargo ashore. He was told that 



“ ‘ i’ll make youk rebel skin sweat for this !’ ” 










* 






































































































































captain lockwood 7 s warm reception 93 

any attempt to take his vessel to one of the 
city wharfs would call forth fire from the insur¬ 
gents. 

“ Well, this is about as big an outrage as I 
ever met with !” stormed the captain. 

“ You understand ?” called the insurgent. 

“Oh yes, I understand,” answered Captain 
Lockwood. “ But I’m going to obey under pro¬ 
test.” 

The insurgent replied to the effect that he did 
not care a pinch of snuff about the protest. All 
he desired was obedience. 

“Well, I’m going to apply to your admiral 
the first thing to-morrow for permission to go to 
a wharf,” shouted the captain. “ I have been 
fired on by your people, and that’s a piece of 
cowardice.” 

The insurgent intimated that calling his friends 
cowards did them no harm, and that Admiral Da 
Gama would probably decline to see the captain 
of the bark Alma. 

“We’ll see about that to-morrow,” answered 
the captain. “ Get away from alongside now, and 
give me room to bring my bark to anchor.” 

With jeering laughter ringing from her decks, 
the insurgent tug steamed away, and Captain 
Lockwood roared, in a voice of thunder: 

“Clew up the fore and main tops’ls! Haul 




94 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


down the jib! Haul out the spanker! Down 
with your helm!” 

A few minutes later the crashing rattle of the 
cable passing through the hawse-hole told that 
the Alma had come to anchor in six fathoms, 
half a mile to the northward and westward of 
Cobras Island. 






CHAPTER XIV 


MIGHT AGAINST RIGHT 

The next morning was cloudy and sultry, and 
Captain Lockwood, after a quick survey of the 
heavens, expressed it as his belief that there 
would be a tropical thunder-storm before mid¬ 
night. 

“ Look to our starboard anchor, Mr. Ball, and 
see all ready to let go,” he said, “for these 
squalls come very suddenly and blow very hard 
in Kio Harbor.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” said Mr. Ball. “ A pair of 
mudhooks make a good storm-stays’l, they do.” 

“And see my boat in ship-shape order, Mr. 
Ball,” continued the captain. “ I’m going to do 
myself the honor of making a call on Admiral 
Da Gama this morning.” 

“There’s a man-o’-wars boat a-comin’, sir,” 
said a sailor. 

“With the American flag flying,” added the 
captain, picking up his glass and levelling it. 
“ Why, it’s Hal King and George Briscomb.” 

The two boys were soon aboard the bark, and 





96 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


explained how they had obtained permission to 
call on their friends. 

“Have you seen Frank?” asked Minnie, anx¬ 
iously. 

“Yes,” answered Harold; and then he pro¬ 
ceeded to give a complete account of their meet¬ 
ing with their friend, and their conversation with 
him about Robert. 

“ That makes it all the more necessary that I 
should get the bark alongside a city wharf where 
I can be in easy communication with the govern¬ 
ment officials,” said Captain Lockwood. “ I’ve 
got to see this boy that deserted from the Taman- 
dare , and if it’s Robert, I must get him out of this 
service and home. I don’t care to stay in Rio 
Harbor any longer than I’ve got to after my re¬ 
ception.” 

The boys looked at him inquiringly. 

“ Oh, you haven’t heard about it, eh ?” he asked, 
and then he told them the story which aroused 
them to a state of indignation. They feared, 
however, that nothing would be accomplished by 
a visit to the insurgent admiral. 

“ But it’s worth trying, sir,” said Hal. “ It 
would be a dreadful thing if the American fleet 
had to enforce your demand, for we should have 
to fight against Frank and he against your 
rights.” 






MIGHT AGAINST EIGHT 


97 


“ This is going to be a serious business before 
we’re through with it,” said the captain; “ but I 
owe a duty to my fellow-mariners, and if it comes 
to a question between my son and my nephew, 
why, Frank must play second fiddle.” 

After a little further conversation the boys de¬ 
parted, having assured Captain Lockwood that 
they would give him every assistance in their 
power in the search for his son. The captain 
paced the deck for half an hour in deep thought, 
and then spoke in a decisive manner: 

“ I shall go to this insurgent admiral, and put 
my case plainly to him.” 

“ But you won’t tell him about Bobert ?” said 
Minnie. 

“ No, that wouldn’t do. But I must get to a 
wharf. Mr. Ball, get my boat alongside.” 

The order was obeyed, and in a few minutes 
Captain Lockwood was speeding across the bay 
behind four sturdy oarsmen of his crew. The 
flag of Admiral Da Gama had been transferred 
to the wooden corvette Libertade , and Captain 
Lockwood took his boat alongside her starboard 
accommodation-ladder, where he was received 
with considerable surprise by the tall, dark- 
skinned marine on sentry duty. Nevertheless, 
he was permitted to board the ship, while his 
boat was sent to lie at the boom. The officer of 





98 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


the deck sent a messenger to inform the com¬ 
manding officer of the captain’s desire. In a few 
minutes the man returned, and said that the ad¬ 
miral would see the American captain. Enter¬ 
ing the cabin of the Libertade , Captain Lockwood 
found himself in the presence of a keen-eyed, sat¬ 
urnine man, with a set, inexpressive countenance. 
He was sitting bolt upright behind a table, with 
both hands resting upon it at arm’s-length. His 
air and attitude were full of supercilious conceit, 
and Captain Lockwood could scarcely forbear a 
smile. 

“ To what do I owe the honor of this visit ?” 
asked the admiral, speaking with a slight accent 
and a sneering manner. 

“I have come, sir,” replied Captain Lock- 
wood, calmly, “to ask your permission to lay 
my bark alongside one of the city wharves. 
Discharging cargo by the aid of lighters is a 
very expensive business, as you must know, 
sir.” 

“ I do know,” said the admiral, bowing slight¬ 
ly, “but you must discharge your cargo that 
way. I cannot grant your request.” 

“ May I ask why ?” 

“Yes. You cannot lie at a wharf without be¬ 
ing in my line of fire. I must be free to fire upon 
the city when I choose without danger of injur- 




MIGHT AGAINST RIGHT 


99 


ing foreign ships, and so embroiling myself with 
foreign powers.” 

“But—pardon me, admiral—don’t you think 
you are just as likely to get yourself into trouble 
by preventing vessels from landing ?” 

“ I have prevented them, and no trouble has 
come,” said the admiral, with a cold smile. “ I 
shall continue to do so.” 

“ By what right ?” 

“ By the right which I have created,” answered 
Admiral Da Gama, impressively. “ The navy of 
Brazil has thrown off the yoke of the tyrant Pei- 
xoto, and is fighting for the freedom of the land. 
Here, upon the water, our war-ships are the su¬ 
preme ruling power. My plans must not be dis¬ 
turbed, and I shall not permit them to be.” 

“ Then your right is simply might.” 

“ Call it that, if it pleases you.” 

Captain Lockwood was silent for a moment, 
and then he said: 

“ Was it by your orders that my bark was fired 
upon in entering the harbor?” 

“ Yes,” said the admiral, smiling. 

“ I protest against it as an outrage.” 

“You may protest till you are hoarse, sir, but 
it will be in vain. I have established a blockade 
on the water-front of Rio de Janeiro, and the 
shots were fired simply as a warning. They 



100 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


could not have harmed you. They were blank- 
cartridges.” 

“ I never before heard the whistle of a bullet 
follow the discharge of a blank-cartridge.” 

“All imagination,” said the admiral, hastily. 
“There were no bullets—though I cannot say 
what might happen if you attempted to go to 
the wharf.” 

“ Am I to understand that this is a threat ?” 

“ I do not threaten merchantmen,” replied Ad¬ 
miral Da Gama, coldly. “ I order them, and they 
obey.” 

“ I deny your right to order me.” 

“Your denial will not help you, sir. Under¬ 
stand once and for all that you are forbidden 
to take your vessel to a wharf, and that if 
you do attempt it you will be stopped by my 
ships.” 

“ I thank you, sir, for the politeness with which 
you have received me, and for the plainness with 
which you have stated your intentions. I shall 
tell you mine with equal plainness.” 

“ I shall be deeply interested in hearing them,” 
said the admiral, with chilling irony. 

“ I am going to appeal to Admiral Stanton, of 
the American fleet, for protection.” 

“ I am sorry to tell you that you are too late. 
Admiral Stanton is a most charming gentleman, 


MIGHT AGAINST RIGHT 


101 


but his extreme politeness has led to his return 
to his native land.” 

“He has gone home?” 

“ Exactly—at the urgent request of the pater¬ 
nal government at Washington. Admiral Stan¬ 
ton is a sailor, and when he meets another admi¬ 
ral afloat, he salutes. He saluted my flag when 
he entered this harbor, and the Government at 
Washington, fearing to offend the powerful po¬ 
tentate whom I have shut up in yonder city like 
a rat in a trap, invited him to return to the bosom 
of his family.” 

“ Then, sir, I shall appeal to the senior officer 
of our fleet.” 

“ Captain Picking, of the Charleston ,” said the 
admiral, with a smile; “ another charming gen¬ 
tleman, who will do nothing whatever for you.” 

“ How do you know that ?” 

“ The Americans, I am told, play a game of 
cards called ‘poker,’ in which it is considered 
clever to try to alarm your adversary by bluster 
—bluffing, you call it, is it not ? Yes? The fleet 
which lies at anchor over there is an example of 
your American bluff. Those ships will not hurt 
me.” 

“ Admiral Da Gama, sooner or later my bark is 
going to a wharf or going to the bottom, and I 
with her.” 


102 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Well, my dear captain, you will find the 
water quite warm and comfortable, even at a 
depth of ten fathoms.” 

The admiral arose, indicating that the inter¬ 
view was at an end. Captain Lockwood bowed 
very stiffly, and, turning on his heel, strode out 
of the cabin. He marched over the side and 
down the ladder, and dropped into the stern- 
sheets of his boat, now alongside, with a sort of 
emphatic thud. 

“ Shove off, there,” he said. “ Get your oars 
overboard, you Scandinavian kings; no man-o’- 
war flubdubbery about it, either. Give way to¬ 
gether now, heartily, lads. Lift her, lift her.” 

At that same hour the bronzed young man who 
had been languishing in the prison up in the hills 
back of Hio was engaged in cutting away the 
stone around the top of one of the bars that 
guarded the window. 

“ I suppose the geese don’t know I’m a Yan¬ 
kee,” he muttered, “or they wouldn’t leave me 
alone here with only three iron bars and an 
eight-foot jump between me and liberty. I’ll 
give them a lesson they’ll not forget.” 

He worked away diligently, and half an hour 
later easily removed the bar. 

“ How,” he said, “ here goes for better luck.” 


MIGHT AGAINST BIGHT 


103 


He was about to squeeze himself out through 
the opening when the door opened and his jailer 
entered. With a shout the man dashed forward. 
The boy sprang back from the window, and 
seized the iron bar which he had just removed. 
With all his force he brought it down on the 
man’s head, and the jailer fell senseless. The 
next minute the boy climbed out on the window¬ 
sill, and with a convulsive spring caught the limb 
of a tree. In a few seconds he descended to the 
ground. 

“ Free!” he exclaimed ; “ free!” 

Then he set off through the woods at a run. 



CHAPTER XV 


A REFUSAL AND A PROMISE 

The Alma's boat sped easily across the bay 
towards the Charleston. Captain Lockwood’s lips 
were compressed, and there was a blaze in his 
eyes. If he had been commander of an Ameri¬ 
can man-of-war at that moment there would 
have been trouble in Rio Harbor. The light boat 
shot up easily alongside the ladder, and the cap¬ 
tain ran up to the deck. As he crossed the side 
he lifted his cap and said, with emphasis: 

“ Thank goodness, I am among civilized men!” 

The officer of the deck approached with a smile, 
and said: 

“ You speak like an American.” 

“I am one. I am the owner and master of 
the bark Alma from Hew York, and I have come 
to ask for protection from the senior officer of 
the American fleet.” 

The officer of the deck at once sent word to 
Captain Picking, who promptly received the 
sturdy old skipper. Captain Lockwood told his 
story with seaman-like bluntness, and the com- 




A REFUSAL AND A PROMISE 


105 


mander of the Charleston heard him with cour¬ 
tesy. 

“ I am afraid I cannot do anything for you,” 
said Captain Picking. 

Captain Lockwood stared at him in amaze¬ 
ment. 

“ Why, what on earth are you here for ?” he 
exclaimed. 

“I am here to protect American interests in 
this harbor; but I do not believe that I should 
be protecting them by doing anything that would 
appear to favor one side or the other.” 

“ But American ships are being fired on by 
the insurgents. Mine is not the first.” 

“ I am aware of that; but you must not act in 
such a way as to draw fire. I can only say to 
you that if you insist upon going to a wharf, you 
must do it at your own risk. I cannot interfere 
in the matter.” 

“ Then I am wasting my time here,” said Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood, rising to go. 

“ I advise you to do nothing hasty,” said Cap¬ 
tain Picking, kindly. 

“ What do you mean ?” 

“ The American fleet will soon be under an¬ 
other commander, Admiral Benham, who is due 
here in two or three days. He may see some 
way to aid you which I do not.” 





106 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“I thank you for the suggestion. I under¬ 
stand you to mean that Admiral Benham may 
come with later orders from the national govern¬ 
ment than those you have, and hence may act 
differently. You needn’t say a word, sir. I ap¬ 
preciate the delicacy of your position, and I’m 
indebted to you for your courtesy.” 

And with a sailor-like salute Captain Lock- 
wood turned and left the cabin. In a few min¬ 
utes he was well on his way back to the Alma. 
On his arrival there, a few words sufficed to put 
Minnie and Mr. Ball in possession of the facts. 

“ Well, I’m blowed!” was Mr. Ball’s comment. 

“You will not try to go to a wharf?” asked 
Minnie. 

“ Not till I find out what this new admiral has 
got to say. But I’m going to shift our anchor¬ 
age a bit.” 

The next - morning the Alma was got under 
way to stand a little closer under the shore. As 
soon as her head fell off and her jib filled, a 
heavy rifle volley was loosed at her from the 
Trajano. The bark was at once brought to the 
wind and the anchor let go; but even after that 
several shots were fired across her deck. Captain 
Lockwood was in deep anger, but he made no 
further attempt to move his bark. Two days 
later Admiral Benham’s flag was hoisted on the 


A REFUSAL AND A PROMISE 


107 


San Francisco , and a new feeling was aroused in 
the fleet of American merchantmen. Captain 
Lockwood waited until another day had passed, 
and then he ordered his boat and started for the 
flag-ship. He was a man of stern purpose, and 
he had made up his mind that if the American 
commander did not promise him protection he 
would send Minnie to some place of safety, and 
endeavor to run the Alma to a wharf in spite of 
the insurgent rifles. Fortunately for him he did 
not have to resort to such a hazardous experi¬ 
ment. He was received by Admiral Benham 
with the greatest courtesy, and again told his 
story, with the addition of the Trajano incident. 

“ The United States flag,” he said, “ was flying 
aboard my bark the whole time.” 

“ Captain Lockwood,” said the admiral, grave¬ 
ly, “ return to your vessel. I shall at once enter 
into communication on this subject with Admiral 
Da Gama, and I assure you, sir, that you shall re¬ 
ceive protection from the United States forces 
under my command.” 

Captain Lockwood looked the dignified old 
veteran in the eye, and saw there an expression 
of quiet resolution which gave him the greatest 
satisfaction. 

“ Thank you, sir, heartily. Good-morning,” he 
said. 



108 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Captain Lockwood went back to the Alma and 
told what had happened. Even Kibo, the cook, 
was interested, and he set up a barbarian shout 
of joy that filled the forecastle with discordant 
echoes. An hour later a launch with an officer 
seated in the stern Tvas seen to leave the San 
Francisco's side, and hurry away towards the 
Libertade. The officer carried a letter from Ad¬ 
miral Ben ham to Admiral Da Gama. It was 
properly a confidential communication, but its 
contents were soon known among the officers of 
the American fleet. 

“ Do you know what it said ?” asked George. 
“ It went this way: ‘ Your right to establish a 
blockade of the whole or any part of the harbor 
of Rio de Janeiro is not conceded, and no such 
blockade will be respected, as belligerent rights 
have not been accorded you.’ ” 

“ W’ich the same it are werry fat talk,” said 
Peter Morris. 

“ Look here, Peter,” said Hal, “ you must keep 
this business to yourself. It will not do to have 
the men chattering.” 

“ Bless ye, sir,” said Peter, “ I’ll be as dumb as 
my aunt Mehitabel’s big clock wot never spoke 
but oncet a year, an’ then it struck one at one 
o’clock in the mornin’ on the fust o’ Janiwary, 
sir.” 


A REFUSAL AND A PROMISE 


109 


“ Yes,” continued George, who was greatly ex¬ 
cited, “and Admiral Da Gama replied that the 
firing of his ships was not an act of aggression 
against the American flag, but simply a warning 
to merchant ships to keep out of the line of fire. 
He said the shots were always without ball.” 

“ An’ that are wot I calls a twister,” said Peter. 

“ Twister!” exclaimed George. “ It’s a regu¬ 
lar—” 

“Not so loud, Geordie,” said Hal. “It cer¬ 
tainly is not true, for Captain Lockwood told us 
he heard bullets, and one of them went through 
a sail.” 

“ Are that true ?” asked Peter. 

“ Yes, certainly,” said Harold. 

“ Then afore we leaves this ’ere harbor the 
American eagle are got to let out one scream, 
sure.” 

“Now mind you don’t go talking about this 
among the men,” said Hal. 

“Among the wot, sir? Slobs, sir—slobs are 
wot I calls ’em; an’ I wouldn’t tel] ’em nothin’ 
if I thought they was a-bustin’ fur to know.” 




CHAPTER XVI 


THE MEETING OF THE CAPTAINS 

The next day the two boys had more news 
about the correspondence between the two ad¬ 
mirals. 

“ Do you know what Admiral Benham’s latest 
is ?” asked Hal, joining George in the steerage. 

“No; what?” 

“ He has demanded that all firing be stopped.” 

This was true. On January 27th Admiral Ben- 
ham wrote once more to Admiral Da Gama. 
“ I now demand,” he said, “that any order which 
any ship or shore battery under your command 
may now have to stop or in any way interfere 
with the movements of any American vessels 
about the harbor, while in the pursuit of their 
lawful business, be rescinded at once. I also re¬ 
quest to be notified when this has been done. 
This demand is not intended to restrict or ham¬ 
per in any way the prosecution of your military 
or naval operations.” Harold was not acquaint¬ 
ed with the wording of this letter, but he knew 
something about the nature of its contents. The 




THE MEETING OF THE CAPTAINS 


111 


two boys were just going on deck for the second 
dog-watch, and had paused under the break of 
the forecastle, where Peter Morris was leaning 
against the bulkhead. 

“ Werry good, too,” remarked the honest cock¬ 
swain. “ If all the firin’ stops, the revolution are 
over, an’ we ups killick an’ goes home.” 

“ But do you suppose that Admiral Benham 
means that Admiral Da Gama mustn’t fire at 
all?” said Hal. 

“ In course,” answered Peter; “ ain’t that wot 
he says ?” 

“ Ho,” said George; “ only that he mustn’t 
fire on American vessels.” 

“An’ a werry proper order,” said Peter, em¬ 
phatically. 

“ But,” said Hal, thoughtfully, “ suppose that 
Da Gama refuses to comply with this demand ?” 

“ Then I reckon as how we are got to make 
him,” answered Peter. “ Else what are we here 
for?” 

“ I tell you,” exclaimed George, “ that would 
suit me to a T.” 

“ Why Georgie!” said Hal. 

“ Oh, you needn’t look so shocked,” said 
George. “ I should like to see some active 
service.” 

“So should I,” answered Harold, “but in other 





112 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


circumstances. I can’t help thinking of poor 
Frank’s terrible position in this matter. He 
must be suffering intense agony of mind.” 

“ Hal, I’m just as sorry for Frank as you are; 
but if there’s going to be a row here, I’m going 
to put him out of my mind and enjoy the fun, 
and you’d better do the same.” 

“You let Mr. King alone, sir,” said Peter; 
“ when the time comes fur a scrimmage, he’ll be 
right on deck.” 

“ Time’s up!” said Harold, shortly. “ We must 
go on duty.” 

It was a beautiful, clear evening, but warm. 
A very light breeze was blowing, and the flags 
on the vessels fluttered rather languidly. George 
had hardly taken two turns across the deck when 
he heard a hail from Harold. 

“ Signals flying on the flag-ship, sir!” 

Mr. Harniss, who was officer of the deck, hur¬ 
ried to the bridge, and, with signal-book in hand, 
noted the flags at the San Francisco's signal- 
yard. The uppermost flag was solid red, the 
second solid blue, and the third consisted of 
two horizontal red stripes with a white stripe 
between them. 

“It’s 137,” he said, turning over the leaves 
of the book and reading: “ £ Commanding offi¬ 
cers of ships report aboard flag-ship.’ Quarter- 


THE MEETING OF THE CAPTAINS 


113 


master, run up the answering pennant. Or¬ 
derly !” 

The marine who answered the last hail was 
sent to inform Commander Brownson of the nat¬ 
ure of the signal. Before he had fairly turned 
away, Mr. Harniss, anticipating the command 
which he knew would come from the captain, 
ordered the steam-launch to be got ready and 
brought to the starboard gangway, and sent a 
messenger after Harold’s sword, for it was the 
boy’s duty to act as boat officer. The crew of 
the steam-launch tumbled on deck, and the men 
were speedily but carefulty inspected by Harold, 
to make sure that they were properly uniformed. 
The launch had hardly reached the foot of the 
starboard accommodation-ladder before Com¬ 
mander Brownson came out of his cabin. A 
minute later he was in the boat and on his way 
to the San Francisco. He spoke not a word 
during the brief passage, but kept his eyes fixed 
with an expression of deep thought on the ves¬ 
sels of the insurgents, sullenly tugging at their 
cables off Engenha. Three other launches, from 
the New York, Newark , and Charleston , were 
tearing the blue water into ribbons of emerald 
and silver as they plunged forward towards the 
flag-ship. It looked like a mad race to see which 
would arrive first; but as they neared the ship 
8 




114 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


the others slackened speed, and permitted the 
launch of the senior officer, Captain Picking, to 
go to the ladder first. The marine sentry at the 
gangway presented arms, the boatswain’s whis¬ 
tle shrieked a shrill salute, and the captain dis¬ 
appeared behind the ship’s iron bulwarks. The 
other officers followed in their order, and in a 
few seconds Harold found himself sitting idly 
in the launch, which was bobbing uneasily on 
the small ripple a few yards off the ship’s quar¬ 
ter. There was an air of deep expectancy aboard 
the San Francisco. Though it was a dog-watch, 
when much latitude is allowed to Jack, the men 
forward were very quiet. For the most part 
they sat or lay along the forecastle smoking, and 
conversing in low tones, with their rough, hairy 
faces screwed into a hundred queer shapes around 
the blackened stems of their glowing pipes. Oc¬ 
casionally a louder word or a hoarse laugh rolled 
over the side, where it seemed to fall into the 
water and be drowned, so suddenly was it fol¬ 
lowed by a deeper silence. Even as Nature 
sometimes appears to brood before she bursts 
into a storm, so now the flag-ship of the Ameri¬ 
can fleet seemed to be instinct with serious pur¬ 
pose. 

In the cabin of Admiral Benham the captains 
of his ships were listening to a grave communi- 



THE MEETING OF THE CAPTAINS 


115 


cation. The admiral explained to them with 
great care the exact details of the situation, and 
gave each explicit orders as to his duties for the 
following day. These orders caused every man’s 
lips to close a little more tightly, while his eyes 
sparkled with a new light. Admiral Da Gama 
had paid no attention to Admiral Benhain’s let¬ 
ter demanding orders for the final cessation of 
all firing upon American ships. Now the Ameri¬ 
can commander had finished letter writing, and 
was preparing to speak another language. The 
meeting lasted over an hour. Then the launches t 
were called in their order, and in a few minutes 
Commander Brownson was steaming back tow¬ 
ards the Detroit. There was a very stern ex¬ 
pression on his countenance, and his eyes burned 
with an intense fire. He gazed steadily at his 
own ship, and seemed to be making a mental 
note of every detail of her rig and armament. 
Then he turned his eyes upon the rebel ships 
Guanabara and Trajano , and a grim smile passed 
over his face. The next moment his eyes met 
those of Harold, who was watching him with a 
sort of respectful curiosity. 

“ Young gentleman,” said the commander, in 
a low tone, “ are you much given to coward¬ 
ice ?” 

Harold started with surprise. 


116 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ I don’t know, sir,” he answered, modestly. 
“ I have never been tried.” 

Once again Commander Brownson looked first 
at the Detroit and then at the insurgent ships 
watching the Alma , and he said : 

“ You may possibly get an opportunity to¬ 
morrow to show—” 

His speech was cut short by the report of a 
gun over in the direction of the city. A cloud 
of bluish-white smoke floating above an insur¬ 
gent tug told whence the shot had been fired. 
The tug was about a quarter of a mile above 
the Alma , and to Commander Brownson and 
Harold she appeared to have fired on that bark. 
Such, however, was not the case. Under cover 
of the gathering dusk a } 7 oung man with red¬ 
dish-brown hair had stolen out of the woods a 
mile south of the city, and walked rapidly to 
the beach. There he took the first boat he saw, 
shoved off, and began to row up the bay with 
nervous energy. After he had passed Cobras 
Island it was evident that he was heading tow¬ 
ards the American bark Alma. He pulled more 
slowly now, as if his strength were almost 
spent. Suddenly a tug steamed out from be¬ 
hind the island. A rough voice bawled an order 
to the rower to pause, but he redoubled his ef¬ 
forts. The next moment a flash shot out from 


HELP ! HELP !’ HE CRIED. 











THE MEETING OF THE CAPTAINS 


117 


the side of the tug; there was a crash ; the for¬ 
ward end of the row-boat was demolished, and 
the boy found himself in the ill-smelling water. 
He struggled feebly, for he was almost exhausted. 

“ Help! help!” he cried, and for a few sec¬ 
onds he disappeared beneath the water. 

A boat was lowered from the Alma and pulled 
rapidly towards him. But the tug reached the 
spot first, and the boy was hauled aboard un¬ 
conscious. 

“ Hold on there !” shouted Captain Lockwood, 
who was in command of the Almazs boat; “ that 
man’s an American or an Englishman, or he 
wouldn’t have cried £ Help!’ ” 

“ He’s safe here,” was the answer, as the tug 
began to move away. 

“ But I want to see him.” 

“You can’t do it. We know this man, and 
we’re going to keep him.” 

The tug hurried away at full speed, while 
Captain Lockwood sat in his boat and looked 
helplessly after it. 






CHAPTER XVII 


“ CLEAR SHIP FOR ACTION !” 

The dull, regular pulsing of the engine of the 
Detroit's launch was all that was heard for sev¬ 
eral minutes, while the distance between the lit¬ 
tle craft and the ship rapidly diminished. 

“ Mr. King,” said the captain, suddenly. 

“ Yes, sir,” answered Harold, respectfully. 

“ What I said to you a moment ago was in¬ 
tended only for the ears of an officer. You un¬ 
derstand, sir ?” 

“ Yes, sir; I shall be silent.” 

“ Quite right. You are young in the service, 
and you cannot learn too soon that between-decks 
gossip is idle and injurious to discipline.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” said Harold, rightly constru¬ 
ing a suggestion from his commanding officer 
as an order. 

A hundred eyes, filled with expressions of cu¬ 
riosity, were fixed on the launch as she ran along¬ 
side the ship. Grave-looking old “ waisters ” 
peered out of the broadside ports, their hardy 
faces showing brick-red beside the dusky bronze 





“ CLEAR SHIP FOR ACTION !” 


119 


of the shapely 4-inch guns. Lively forecastle 
Jacks leaned in unconscious grace over the rails 
and studied the captain’s countenance. The 
officer of the deck stood on the starboard side 
of the poop, with the faint crimson light of the 
western sky flaming along the edge of his pol¬ 
ished visor, and silently watched his superior 
mount the ladder, followed by the young cadet. 
Harold stood by for orders on reaching the deck, 
expecting to be told to see the launch secured 
for the night at the port boom, where she had 
been allowed to lie. 

“ Mr. King,” said Commander Brownson, lift¬ 
ing his head suddenly as if breaking out of a 
reverie. 

“ Aye, aye, sir.” 

“ Get the launch alongside and lower away 
her falls.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” replied the boy, moving away 
to execute the order. It was now nearly eight 
bells, when it would be his watch below; but 
orders must be obeyed. The captain paused a 
moment before his cabin door, and sent a keen 
look aloft and along the deck. A shadow of a 
smile passed over his bronzed face as he turned 
and said to the orderly: 

“ Present my compliments to the executive offi¬ 
cer, and say I wish to see him in my cabin.” 





120 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


The orderly saluted and moved away. A pale 
yellow glare of electric light flashed and faded as 
Commander Brownson passed through the door to 
his cabin. It was growing dark between-decks, 
though the twilight was still fair enough to make 
all things visible without. Eight bells were struck, 
and the interior of the ship rumbled with the 
tread of feet as the watch below tumbled up to 
relieve the watch on deck. The forecastle lads 
stretched themselves and yawned, as they rolled 
below ready to turn to for a good-night pull at 
their pipes. Evening quarters were over long 
ago, and hammocks had been piped down, so 
Jacky had only to comfort himself till he was 
ordered to turn in. The sailor is an easy fellow, 
and he learns to take things as they come. So 
when the captain returned from the meeting 
aboard the flag-ship and gave no special orders, 
Jacky dismissed the incident from his mind. 

George Briscomb, as midshipman of the quar¬ 
ter-deck, had been at the gangway when the 
captain came aboard, and had heard his order to 
Harold. So, as soon as he was relieved, George 
asked permission to go and assist Harold. He 
discovered the launch lying below her davits 
with her falls hooked on; so he swung himself 
over the rail, slid down the after-fall, and landed 
in the boat beside his astonished friend. 


“ CLEAR SHIP FOR ACTION !” 


121 


“Why, Georgie, what are you after?” asked 
Hal. 

“I just want to have a little talk with you in 
a place where we can be by ourselves.” 

The engineer of the launch was busily engaged 
drawing his fire, and the cockswain and two other 
hands were forward. Yet, as a matter of pre¬ 
caution, the two boys leaned over the stern with 
their faces towards the water. 

“ How, George, heave ahead,” said Harold. 

“ Don’t talk salt, old man,” replied George, 
with a smile; “ it’s not natural to you.” 

“ I’ll talk like a Maine farmer if it ’ll please 
you, George ; but what do you want ?” 

“Did you find out what the meeting was 
for ?” 

“ Ho; how could I do that ?” 

“ I didn’t know but the old man might have 
dropped you a hint.” 

“My dear George, do you suppose that our 
venerable commanding officer, to whom you re¬ 
fer, with the irreverence of the merchant service, 
as the old man, has suddenly formed a resolution 
to take steerage officers into his confidence?” 

“ How, Hal, don’t sit on me. You know I 
don’t mean anything of that sort. Didn’t he let 
slip any remark that signified anything ?” 

“ Yes,” said Harold, slowly, “he did.” 




122 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“What was it?” 

“ I can’t tell you; he cautioned me to keep my 
counsel.” 

“ But surely you won’t keep it from me ?” 

“I must, George. You wouldn’t respect me 
if I didn’t.” 

George knew in his heart that this was true; 
but it did seem hard to him that his friend should 
know more about the secrets of the fleet than he 
did. 

“ I suppose you’re right, Hal,” he said, mourn- 
fully. 

“ Oh, I say, don’t be so sad, Georgie,” said Hal, 
smiling. “Perhaps his words didn’t mean so 
very much, you know.” 

“ Well, I don’t believe that meeting aboard the 
flag-ship was held just to talk about the weather. 
My ! but I can’t help feeling excited inside. Pm 
sure—” 

His words were cut short by the sudden burst 
upon the air of a long, shrill piping from several 
whistles at once. The two boys sprang to their 
feet and looked intently at one another as they 
waited to hear what words would follow. The 
whistles ceased, and a sonorous bass voice cried: 

“ All-1-1 hands, clear ship for action!” 


CHAPTER XVIII 


WAS IT ONLY A DRILL? 

“ Gracious !” exclaimed George. “ That means 
business!” 

“ Don’t stop to talk,” said Harold. “ Let’s get 
to our stations.” 

“ And I must get my sword.” 

In a few moments the two boys were aboard 
the ship, properly accoutred, and at their posts. 
When the order is given to clear ship for action 
the officers and crew assemble in the parts of the 
ship to which they are assigned by the general 
station bill. As the boys clambered aboard they 
heard the whole interior of the steel hull resound¬ 
ing with the rapid tread of feet, and though ab¬ 
solute silence is required at such times, it would 
have been strange if Jacky had not muttered a 
few complaints about a “ bloomin’ moonlight pic¬ 
nic when I ort to be doin’ forty winks in my 
hammock.” But the discipline of the crew was 
too good to permit such remarks to be made 
loudly, and as a rule the men sprang to their 
stations with alacrity. As the boys hastened to 




124 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


their places they noted that Commander Brown- 
son and Mr. Crane, the executive officer, were on 
the bridge, the former with his watch in his 
hand. 

“ Going to see how long it takes to do the 
trick,” thought George. 

The men attached to the navigator’s division 
were as busy as bees. Indeed, all hands were 
hard at it. In the first place, the steam-launch 
and two other boats that were in the water had 
to be hoisted up. The sharp piping of the boat¬ 
swain’s whistle urged the men at the falls to put 
their strength into their work, and with much 
rattling and groaning of blocks the boats rose to 
their places, where they had to be secured by the 
gripes and with extra lashings, as if the Detroit 
were bound to sea. 

“ In with those boat booms,” said the boat¬ 
swain. 

Some jumped to let go the forward guys, others 
to haul away on the after-braces, and others to 
attend to the topping lift-tackle. The lively fel¬ 
lows stationed in the tops sprang aloft with the 
activity of cats. Those in the foretop speedily 
rigged a couple of quarter-lifts on the signal-yard, 
so that it should not fall down on deck and injure 
some one if it were shot away. Then the same 
hands set to work to sling the fore-gaff in extra 



WAS IT ONLY A DRILL ?’ 



% 






























WAS IT ONLY A DKILL ? 


125 


chains with the same object in view. The main- 
gaff was similarly supported. 

“ Now, then, shake a leg there,” said Harold, 
who was assisting the officer of the forecastle. 
“ Clear away all that spare stuff.” 

The willing tars jumped about with celerity at 
their work. 

“ Mr. King,” said the officer of the forecastle. 

“ Aye, aye, sir.” 

“ Give special attention to the ground-tackle, 
and see all in perfect order.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” answered the boy. 

“ Don’t forget to get the fish-davit out of the 
way.” 

“ No, sir.” 

Every nook and corner had to be cleared of 
odd articles lying about loose, for such things 
would prove to be in the way when the time for 
fighting came. Of course the men aboard the 
Detroit were not dreaming of fighting. It is no 
uncommon thing for a captain to turn his crew 
out, call them to quarters, load and fire the bat¬ 
tery, even at sea, in the middle of the night. In 
fact, he is required to do this at stated periods to 
test the efficiency of his crew. This is what the 
men of the Detroit supposed was about to hap¬ 
pen, though some of them suspected that there 
was something beneath all this, and none of them 









126 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


could see just how the firing part of the drill 
could be accomplished in the harbor. 

“ I s’pose it ’ll be up ‘ killick ’ an’ git to sea in 
the mid-watch,” said one old growler. 

“Werry good,” answered the philosophical 
Peter; “ if them’s the orders, we ups it an’ we 
gits.” 

“ But wot’s the use ?” continued the grumbler. 

“ Mos’ly fur to see,” answered Peter, “ whether 
it are the ossifers or the men wot’s a-runnin’ this 
’ere ship.” 

“ Wal, I think it’s all nonsense.” 

“ Keep quiet there, and mind your eye,” said 
George, who had just come up. 

“ Bloomin’ young popinjay,” muttered the man, 
under his breath. 

The quarter-deck awning had been taken down, 
and George was having it carefully rolled around 
the steam-launch, the purpose being to prevent 
splinters flying, in case she was hit by a shot. 
In drills aboard a man-of-war everything is done 
just as it would be in case of a real action. Awn¬ 
ing stanchions were taken down, and also boat 
davits, where they could be spared, and stowed 
below. The pumps were rigged ready to do 
what they could towards keeping the water out 
of the ship if her side were pierced. A thousand 
and one things had to be done, it seemed, to re- 


WAS IT ONLY A DRILL ? 


127 


move every object that could possibly interfere 
with the effective working of the guns, and to 
secure everjdhing that might get adrift in the 
course of an engagement. The men, however, 
had been well drilled, the petty officers knew 
their business, and the cadets were intelligent 
and thoroughly trained. In a few minutes over 
half an hour the Detroit had assumed the appear¬ 
ance of a man who has taken off his coat and 
rolled up his sleeves. Down in the fire-room 
there was considerable work yet going on, for 
clearing ship for action embraces getting up 
steam, and there had been no fires in the Detroit's 
furnaces for some time, so that her boilers were 
cold. When all on deck and between decks was 
reported ready, the commanding officer, accom¬ 
panied by the executive and the navigator, made 
a tour of inspection. Little, indeed, was there 
that could escape the experienced eye of the vet¬ 
eran Brownson; but both our young friends won 
his silent approval of the thoroughness with 
which their work had been done. The command¬ 
er’s gaze was searching and business-like, but he 
was too old a lover of the sea not to note the 
picturesque features of the scene. The dim light 
of the newly risen moon fell in a slanting flood 
of yellow through the sparse rigging, and made 
a thousand strange and mystic shadows on the 





128 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


deck. It threw into sharp relief the sturdy forms 
of the crew as they mustered at their stations in 
their white working-suits. It lit up the polished 
backs of the guns with half-toned splashes of 
light, and twinkled softly along the fife-rails at 
the foot of the masts. Not a sound was heard 
except the foot-falls of the inspecting officers and 
the musical babble of the tide around the ship’s 
forefoot. The captain and his aids passed below 
to see that the magazines and engine-rooms and 
other interior parts of the ship had been made 
ready according to routine. A considerable time 
elapsed, and those on the spar-deck knew that 
the inspection was being made most thoroughly. 
When the officers returned they paused before the 
cabin door and conversed for a few moments in low 
tones. Then the executive officer and the naviga¬ 
tor saluted as the captain passed into his cabin. 

“Pipe down,” said Mr. Crane. 

The shrill whistle of the boatswain once more 
broke the silence, its strident tones this time or¬ 
dering the ship’s company to quit stations and go 
below. Once more the decks echoed with the 
confused trampling of feet, and all hands except 
the anchor-watch tumbled down the hatchways. 
Once between decks the members of the crew 
commented on the evening’s exercises in their 
own characteristic ways. 


WAS IT ONLY A DRILL? 


129 


“ Blow me fur pickles,” said one old shell-back, 
“ef that there ain’t the fust time I ever seed 
clearin’ ship done in harbor in the fust watch 
jess fur fun.” 

“ Er anny other way, either, ole blow-hard,” 
said Peter. “ You never seed no ship cleared fur 
real action.” 

“Waal, leastways I’m pertikler glad,” said the 
first speaker, “that we didn’t get no orders to 
secure.” 

“We’ll have to do’t in the mornin’-watch,” 
said another. 

“W’ich the same I don’t think,” muttered 
Peter, under his breath. 

All conversation among the bluejackets was 
cut short by the mellow notes of the bugle sound¬ 
ing the tattoo. The silence of night settled down 
over the ship, and Jacky, accustomed to taking 
things as they come, speedily passed into the 
happy unconsciousness of a dreamland which was 
one wide garden of tobacco-plants watered with 
grog. On deck the men in the anchor-watch 
continued to discuss the evening’s work in low 
tones, and the officer of the deck paced up and 
down in a thoughtful mood. Our two young 
friends were about to turn in, when a mes¬ 
senger entered the room and said that the first 
lieutenant would like to see Mr. King on deck. 





130 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


The boy went at once, and Mr. Crane said to 
him: 

“ Mr. King, I want yon to undertake a rather 
ticklish job.” 

“Very good, sir,” said Harold, quietly. 

“ You are to go in a boat unarmed, and rec¬ 
onnoitre the disposition of the rebel fleet. You 
are to make no resistance if attacked, but are 
to escape, of course, if you can. What you 
are to try most earnestly to do is to avoid de¬ 
tection.” 

“ Very good, sir.” 

“ If you wish any assistance, you may have it; 
but it must be a cadet. Officers can’t be spared 
just now.” 

“ I don’t know that I need any help, sir; but 
I’d like to take Mr. Briscomb with me, and Peter 
Morris for cockswain.” 

The request was granted, and in a few min¬ 
utes the five-oared whale-boat, with muffied oars, 
was moving silently away from the ship. The 
night had become cloudy, and was intensely 
dark. Under Harold’s direction the whale-boat 
proceeded to a point above the anchorage of the 
insurgent war-ships. The tide was ebbing, and 
the boy had decided to drift down with it, pull¬ 
ing a stroke only when absolutely necessary. 
The plan was successful. In deep silence the 


WAS IT ONLY A DRILL ? 


131 


boat with its* eight occupants drifted down 
among the vessels, and Harold’s trained eye 
noted that every one of them was in readiness 
for an early move. Yet their lookouts seemed 
singularly inattentive, for the whale-boat was 
not discovered. At last they were under the 
bows of the Trajano , and George incautiously 
remarked : 

“ This beats the deck!” 

Instantly a rough voice shouted something in 
Portuguese from the forecastle-deck, and a rifle 
was discharged, the bullet passing through the 
boat’s rail. 

“ Give ’way!” commanded Harold, in a low, 
sharp tone. 

The tars bent to the oars, and the boat shot out 
into the bay. But the Trajano*s lightest - pull¬ 
ing boat was in the water, and as the whale-boat 
moved off Peter caught sight of dark forms tum¬ 
bling into her. 

“ They’re after us, sir,” he said. 

“ Pull heartily, lads,” said Hal. 

“ Here they come right astarn,” said Peter. 

All hands were silent for a few minutes. 

“ Do they gain ?” asked Hal. 

“I don’t think so, sir,” said Peter. “It are 
so werry dark I can hardly tell; but I reckon we 
ain’t a-gainin’ either.” 





132 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Snap! The bow-oar broke off just above the 
blade. The other four men pulled all the harder. 

“ That’s no good,” said Hal. “ Hard a-star¬ 
board, Peter.” 

“Hard a-starboard it is, sir,” said the cock¬ 
swain. 

After a dozen strokes had been pulled Harold 
ordered: 

“ Oars!” 

The men ceased rowing, and at the boy’s or¬ 
der all hands huddled in the bottom of the boat. 
The ruse was successful. The cockswain of the 
Brazilian boat lost track of them in the darkness, 
and continued to steer straight ahead. 

“They’re a-passin’! they’re a-passin’!” mut¬ 
tered Peter. 



CHAPTER XIX 


BREASTWORKS AROUND THE GUNS 

An hour later the whale - boat safely reached 
the Detroit , and Harold made his report. Mr. 
Crane expressed his approval, and complimented 
the boy on his clever escape. 

“ Hal,” said George, as they were turning in, 
“I hardly know what to say to you. I came 
near ruining the whole thing.” 

“Well, Geordie, if you don’t know what to 
say, don’t say a word, and let’s go to sleep. We 
haven’t much time.” 

A few minutes later both boys were in the 
land of dreams. Harold was the first to awake 
on the call of the messenger, at ten minutes of 
four in the morning. 

“Turn out, old man!” said Harold, shaking 
George. 

“ All right!” exclaimed George, rolling out of 
his bunk and beginning to tumble into his 
clothes. 

It was clear and still when the boys reported 
on deck for the morning-watch. 



134 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ It’s going to be an active watch this morn¬ 
ing, young gentlemen,” said Mr. Burrell, the offi¬ 
cer of the deck; “so keep your weather eyes 
lifting.” 

“Aye, aye, sir!” came the regular response. 

“ George,” said Harold, a minute later, as they 
paused a moment near the main - mast, “ look 
down yonder.” 

The young cadet turned his gaze in the di¬ 
rection indicated, and slowly but deeply the de¬ 
tails of the scene impressed themselves upon his 
mind, there to remain as long as he lived, the 
memorial record of his first moving experience 
in the service of his country’s flag. Admiral 
Da Gama had not replied to the last communi¬ 
cation of Admiral Benham, but he had read be¬ 
tween its curt lines the challenge of a spirit that 
would not brook light treatment. The bay swam 
in the glory of the morning sky, silver-blue, 
streaked with dull crimson and purple. Hot a 
cat’s-paw roughened the polished surface of the 
great natural basin, which was lambent with the 
radiant reflection of the heavens. The gray 
slopes of the Organ Mountains formed a strong 
background for the picture. In the foreground 
the troubled city of Rio de Janeiro, with its tall¬ 
er buildings lined in sombre silhouette against 
the sky,.seemed to rest in temporary, dreamless 




BREASTWORKS AROUND THE GUNS 


135 


peace. Before the water-front, less than half a 
mile from the shore, lay Captain Lockwood’s 
bark, the Alma , swinging to her arched cable, 
her yards stripped and squared, and her jib-boom 
housed. A slender vane fluttering at her main- 
truck, fanned by some gentle upper current that 
did not touch the sleeping water, was the only 
visible sign of life aboard her. 

Just beyond her lay the rebel war-ships Tra- 
jano , Guanabara , and Libertade , the latter out¬ 
side and farthest to the north. Their decks 
were silent, not a figure showing above the bul¬ 
warks. Slim night-pennants trembled aloft, but 
thin, steady streams of smoke flowed from their 
smoke-stacks, showing that there were fires in 
the furnaces and steam in the boilers. Beyond 
these ships, farther out in the bay, lay the Ta- 
mandare and the massive hull and frowning tur¬ 
rets of the formidable Aquidaban. These two 
ships were riding to short cables, and both had 
steam up. Frank Lockwood was striding up and 
down the Aquidaban’s quarter-deck. His face 
was deathly pale, and there were blue hollows 
under his eyes. He was suffering the greatest 
agony of mind that had ever come into his young 
life, for he feared that a general engagement be¬ 
tween the insurgents and the American fleet was 
imminent. He had determined that he must do 




136 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


his duty, but the fierce desire of his heart al¬ 
most amounted to a prayer that the first fire 
of an American gun might stretch him on the 
deck. 

“ This is my punishment,” he murmured, half 
aloud. “ I might have known that my wild crav¬ 
ing for adventure would bring its own retribu¬ 
tion. But would I have suffered any remorse if 
I had not been brought face to face with the 
possibility of fighting against my own country¬ 
men? No, no; this is a lesson for me.” 

Fortunately for Frank, he could not know 
what an important part his classmates were to 
take in the approaching scene, or he would have 
been in still deeper pain. They were at their 
early morning duties aboard the Detroit , and 
their thoughts were not of Frank at that mo¬ 
ment. Harold had mounted the forecastle-deck, 
where he had a clearer view of the bay. He 
caught George’s eye, and nodded to him to look 
out again through the port. As he did so he 
caught sight of a tug well known to be in the 
employ of the insurgents. She was steaming 
out from the shore of Cobras Island. She ran 
along the line of American ships, and it was easy 
to see that her people were taking accurate note 
of the condition of preparation aboard each ves¬ 
sel. Having completed her tour of observation, 


BREASTWORKS AROUND THE GUNS 


137 


she hurried away with half an acre of foam un¬ 
der her bows and went alongside the Libertade. 

“ Aha!” said Harold to himself, “ she is carry¬ 
ing the news to his highness.” 

“ Mr. Briscomb,” said Mr. Burrell, at this mo¬ 
ment, “ send for the bugler.” 

George was surprised at the order, for it was 
half an hour earlier than the usual time for get¬ 
ting the bugler ready to sound the reveille; but 
of course he answered with the ever ready “Aye, 
aye, sir!” and obeyed at once. It was just 4.30 
o’clock when the brisk notes of “ I can’t get ’em 
up ” rang out on the berth-deck, followed by the 
shrill piping of the whistle of the boatswain’s 
mate, and the familiar cry : “ Turn out all hands! 
Up all hammocks!” But the routine order was 
destined not to be obeyed that morning. Before 
the bugle had ceased to sound, the executive 
officer, Mr. Crane, swung himself on deck with 
his cap jammed well down over his eyes. 

“ Good-morning, Mr. Burrell,” he said ; “ have 
you issued the order about the hammocks yet ?” 

“JSTo, sir,” was the answer. “I thought it 
would prevent confusion to wait till the men 
began to come on deck.” 

“ Very good,” said Mr. Crane. “ I’ll attend to 
it myself.” 


138 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Mr. Burrell saluted and turned away. Mr. 
Crane mounted the bridge. George, who had 
heard the brief dialogue, waited anxiously to see 
what was coming next. His suspense was short. 
The petty officers and men came tumbling up 
the hatchways and lined themselves along the 
rails ready to pass up their hammocks to the 
stowers. 

“ Keep fast with those hammocks!” was Mr. 
Crane’s curt order. 

Then he called Harold and George, and in a 
few words told them what he wished. The 
astonished crew was set to work building breast¬ 
works with the hammocks. One was made 
across the poop abaft the 6-inch rifle, and others 
around the wheel and across the ends of the 
bridge. As the men started at this unaccustomed 
task, a low, irresistible murmur ran along the 
deck, and for a moment threatened to grow into 
a cheer. The men looked into one another’s 
faces with blazing eyes and fast-coming breath. 

“ S’help me, bloomin’ bully!” muttered Peter 
Morris, beginning to look eager, “ but it means 
fight!” 

“ Cool and steady’s the word, lad,” said Harold, 
quietly. 

The cockswain looked the boy straight in the 
eye, nodded his head approvingly, and said: 


BREASTWORKS AROTJND THE GUNS 


139 


“ Cool an’ stiddy, you says, sir, an’ cool an’ 
stiddy it is.” 

The work of building the barricades occupied 
most of the crew for three-quarters of an hour. 
Then Mr. Crane gave orders to lower the four 
boats at the quarter-davits and moor them off 
the ship. By the time this had been done and the 
men were back on deck, Commander Brownson 
came from his cabin and mounted the bridge. 
At the same instant Harold, whose eyes were 
quicker than those of the quartermaster on 
watch, touched his cap and said: 

“ Signal from the flag-ship, sir.” 

“ Two-forty-nine— get under way,” said Mr. 
Crane. 

The next moment the order to weigh anchor 
was given aboard the Detroit , and at the same 
second George and Harold saw that all the other 
American war-ships were under way. 



CHAPTER XX 


READY TO FIGHT 

“ Foul anchor, sir.” 

That was Harold’s report as the anchor rose 
into sight, and consequently the Detroit advanced 
at a very slow pace while the work of clearing 
the anchor was in progress. She was moving 
straight down the bay, and the other ships of 
the American fleet were turning over their pro¬ 
pellers just enough to make steerage way. Now 
another string of flags rose to the San Francisco's 
signal yard-arm, and a moment later the answer¬ 
ing pennants were flying on the Few York , 
Newark , and Charleston , but not on the Detroit. 
Harold looked wonderingly at the commander 
and his aids on the bridge; but it was evident 
that they had noted the signal. Harold was 
puzzled for a moment, but suddenly he said to 
himself: 

“ We got our orders at the meeting last night.” 

Commander Brownson picked up a binocular 
and took a look at the insurgent ships Guanabara , 
Trajano , and Libertade. 






READY TO FIGHT 


141 


“ Our friends over there,” he said, laying down 
the glass, “ are preparing to receive us.” 

He smiled as he spoke, and then curtly ordered 
the man at the wheel to port a little. The 
Detroit's head swung slowly around till it pointed 
towards the centre of the opening between En- 
chadas and Cobras islands, when the order was 
given to go ahead steadily. By this time it had 
begun to dawn upon all hands that the Detroit 
had special duty to perform, and there was an 
air of breathless expectation all through the 
ship. At 6.25 the bugler was again summoned, 
and at 6.29 this brisk call was sounded: 





m —*— 


4 

a 

i*~ 


V i* *2^ 


4 

? ^.^ 


- 


“ General quarters!” exclaimed Harold, as he 
sent post-haste for his sword. 

“ This here are a-gettin’ to look like fun,” said 
Peter. 

In a moment the ship was alive with a great 
bustle of action. The men of the navigator’s 
division set to work to rig the hand steering- 
gear in case the steam-gear should be disabled 
by shot. They also brought axes and hatchets 












142 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


for clearing away incumbrances on the deck. A 
spare compass was placed in a safe spot, leads 
and lines were laid near the foot of the fore¬ 
shrouds, and hammock and boom cloths were 
stopped down. Chronometers and other instru¬ 
ments of navigation had to be stowed away out 
of the reach of shot or the influence of the jar of 
heavy gun-fire. Fire-buckets were put in order, 
the cables extra stoppered and made ready for 
running, and extra lashings put on the anchors. 

The surgeon opened up his case of instru¬ 
ments, and made ready his operating - table in 
the sick-bay. Basins, towels, lint, bandages, and 
all the dread paraphernalia of the hospital stood 
in ghostly array in the white-walled apartment; 
while the bay-men bustled about, adding here and 
there a touch to the preparations. Tackles and 
slings were rigged to lower away the wounded, 
and the grave-faced surgeon sat, with his coat 
off and his sleeves rolled up, waiting. 

In the powder division, charged with the all- 
important business of distributing ammunition, 
activity was at fever-heat, yet everything was 
done coolly and in order. The officer in com¬ 
mand of the division gave the keys of the 
magazine and fixed-ammunition rooms to the 
gunner, who distributed them among his mates. 
The men allotted to the magazines put on their 


GENERAL QUARTERS !” 


















READY TO FIGHT 


143 


felt-soled shoes and magazine clothes, and car¬ 
ried wet swabs and cans of water for drinking 
or drowning fire to their places. The screens 
were let down, scuttles opened, chutes placed, 
and shell-whips rigged to hoist the heavy shot 
to the spar-deck. Hose was uncoiled and led 
out, and the steam-pump made ready, and water¬ 
tight bulkheads closed. When all was complete, 
and the scuttle-men, runner-boys, and whippers 
at their proper stations, the officer in command 
of the division reported to the executive officer. 

On the spar-deck the guns’ crews, under the 
watchful eyes of the division officers, prepared 
the big weapons to do their deadly work. The 
gun captains of the 6-inch guns threw open 
the breeches, inspected the bores, looked to the 
gas-checks, put in place the breech-sights, and 
saw that the necessary appliances were at hand. 
Other men freed the elevating-gears, placed the 
loading-trays under the breeches, laid the ram¬ 
mers and sponges on the deck, brought tubs of 
water and put them at the rear of the guns, and 
provided cutlasses, revolvers, rifles, and bayonets 
for the crews. At the 4-inch rapid-fire guns 
similar preparations, though ot a simpler nature, 
were going on. At the Hotchkiss 6 - pounders 
the crews of four men rapidly made the pieces 
ready for loading. In the tops men were hoist- 







144 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


ing ammunition for the guns aloft. The marine 
guard, with rifles at an order, mustered on the 
poop-deck, ready to be sent where their services 
would do the most good. As each division com¬ 
pleted its preparations the officer in charge of 
it reported to the first lieutenant. Little more 
than three minutes elapsed before the entire 
battery was ready for loading. Commander 
Brownson smiled slightly and nodded at Mr. 
Crane, who gave the order: 

“ Sponge! Service charge, common shell.” 

“ Werry good, too,” murmured Peter; “ makes 
the bore slick.” 

This order applied only to the 6-inch guns. 
The big bristle sponges were dipped into the 
tubs, and then run through the chambers of the 
guns. The shell-men and powder-men went to 
the ammunition-scuttles and received the pow¬ 
der and shells from the men at the whips. 

“ Load!” said Mr. Crane, in a low, sharp tone 
that was audible all over the ship. 

The shell-men of the 6-inch guns entered their 
shells, which were pushed home by the load¬ 
ers, the powder following in a similar man¬ 
ner. 

“ W’ich the same it goes in at the back door 
werry quiet,” muttered Peter, “ but comes out o’ 
the front werry lively.” 





READY TO FIGHT 


145 


“ Peter,” said Harold, trying to look stern, but 
with smiling eyes, “you must keep quiet.” 

The second captains closed the breeches, and 
the first captains inserted primers, hooked the 
lanyards, full cocked the locks, and stepped back. 
At each rapid-fire 4-inch gun Ho. 4 of its crew 
stepped up with the cartridge resting in the 
hollow of his right arm, and shoved it into the 
breech, which Ho. 3 closed with a snap. The 
Hotchkiss 6-pounders and the machine-guns 
aloft were also loaded, and for a few seconds 
nothing was heard save the clanking of breech- 
plugs as the guns were closed. And now every 
division officer and gun-captain stood gazing in¬ 
tently on the executive officer, whose calm and 
immovable countenance was as inexpressive as 
the face of the Sphinx. Commander Brownson 
stood leaning lightly against the rail on the 
starboard wing of the bridge. He knew that 
his ship was ready for action, and he was watch¬ 
ing through his glass the movements of the bark 
Alma and the insurgent war-ships. It was evi¬ 
dent that Captain Lockwood was aware of the 
progress of events, and was preparing to make 
an attempt to move his vessel. It was equally 
plain that the crews of the Guanabara and 
Trajamo had gone to quarters. In the momen¬ 
tary breathing-spell that now came, Harold and 
10 





146 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


George had time to look about them. Harold 
was on the forecastle-deck beside the 6-inch gun, 
which was under his immediate charge, and 
George was posted between the two forward 
4-inch guns. The Detroit was steaming ahead 
at a four-knot gait, the ripples parting graceful¬ 
ly around her moderate ram bow, and streaming 
away sternward in glistening ribbons. The sun¬ 
light danced on the polished curves of her brass- 
work, and laid splashes of silver on the chocolate 
chases of her loaded guns. An intense silence 
reigned. The officers on the bridge, with swords 
and revolvers at their hips, stood like statues. 
The men on the deck were motionless, every 
dark, eager face turned towards the bridge. A 
dead calm prevailed in the bay, and it seemed 
as if Nature herself was astonished at the un¬ 
wonted spectacle of an American man-of-war 
prepared to fight. 

Bang! 

Every man started as the report of a gun rang 
out. 

“ Now what’s coming ?” Harold asked himself, 
as he listened for the shrieking of a shell. 

“ ’Taint fur us, sir,” said Peter, in a low tone. 
“ It are a small pup of a rebel tug up yonder.” 

“ Here they come; I wonder what they're up 
to ?” 







READY TO FIGHT 


147 


At that moment Commander Brown son had 
the Detroit's engines stopped, and gave the crew 
orders to stand at ease. He was entirely too 
wary to be drawn into the local quarrel. 

“ Them small fry is exchangin’ of compliments 
with the shore batteries,” remarked Peter. 

“I wonder what our own ships are doing?” 
said Harold. 

“ They ain’t a-loafin’, sir,” said Peter. “ Look, 
sir. There’s the ’Frisco a-lookin’ out fur the 
batteries on Cobras an’ Enchadas islands.” 

“ Yes, and here’s the Charleston a mile astern 
of us. She must be our support.” 

“ An’ look at the Newark , sir, a-layin’ broad¬ 
side to broadside with the Tamandare .” 

“ And the New York is laid opposite the 
Aquidaban ,” said Harold. “ That will be the 
centre of the fight.” 

“Lord bless ye, sir,” said Peter, “it ’ll never 
git as fur as that. If we kicks ’em oncet they’ll 
squeal an’ run.” 

“ And, Peter, does it occur to you who’s to 
give the first kick?” 

“ W’y, we is; an’ bully well we’ll do’t, too, sir.” 

And then that one big, significant thought 
seemed to flash upon the minds of all the De¬ 
troit's men. The little gunboat had been hon¬ 
ored with the task of making the initial move- 




148 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


ment. She was to voice Uncle Sam’s imperative 
demand for justice to his merchant ships and 
respect for the stars and stripes. Every man 
turned a hungry gaze on the Guanabara, Tra- 
jano , and Libertade , and the gun-captains fingered 
their lanyards. 

The insurgent tugs, barking like mongrel curs, 
swung in wide curves away from the shore, and 
circled out among the merchantmen. A few 
scattered, sullen shots, and they steamed slowly 
away. Commander Brownson swept the bay 
with his binoculars, pausing for a more careful 
survey of the Alma. He hung the glass on the 
bridge rail, placed himself beside the engine-room 
telegraph, and signalled: 

“ Ahead slowly.” 

The propellers began to revolve, and the gun¬ 
boat advanced. Harold noted that the shore 
was black with people, and that the roofs of the 
houses in the city were crowded with persons 
eager to see what the despised Yankees were 
about to do. 

“ Port,” commanded Captain Brownson. 

The helmsman obeyed the order, and steadily 
the Detroit swung round, heading so as to pass be¬ 
tween the bark Alma and the insurgent war-ship 
Trajano. 




CHAPTER XXI 


THE SHOT ACROSS THE BOW 

' Up the bay the decks and rigging of the foreign 
war-ships were crowded with men gazing at the 
unwonted spectacle. It must have presented 
features for especial consideration to the senior 
captain of the English fleet, for he had already 
refused to do for a British merchant captain what 
Admiral Benham was now doing for Captain 
Lockwood. As for our two young friends, they 
were strung to an intense pitch of excitement, 
for they fully believed that they were about to 
go into action. George, nervous and active, could 
not stand still, though he was far from feeling as 
much apprehension as Harold. The latter saw 
that the Detroits situation, exposed to the fire of 
three ships at once, was highly dangerous. But 
the boy was as steady and cool as a veteran, and 
as he stood near the breech of the big 6-inch 
rifle, with his hand lightly resting on the butt 
of his revolver, Peter Morris, who was captain of 
the gun, could not repress many nods of approval. 
An involuntary gesture by one of the men called 




150 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


the attention of all hands forward to the move¬ 
ments of the Alma's crew. The monotonous, 
metallic clank of her capstan-pawl told that her 
cable was slowly coming in, and presently the 
stock of the anchor appeared, parting the lucent 
water under her fore-foot. Now a boat, which 
had been lying under her port bow, started for¬ 
ward. In it were four seamen and Mr. Ball, the 
mate. They were engaged in an attempt to run 
a warp from the Alma to the vessel ahead of her, 
by which to haul her in towards the shore. Mr. 
Ball stood up in the stern and hailed the Detroit. 

“ Are we to understand that you’re here to see 
us through ?” 

“That’s our intention,” replied Commander 
Brownson. “You go ahead and take your boat 
to the wharf.” 

“ That’s what we’re a-doing,” replied Mr. Ball; 
“ but we’re afraid they’ll fire on us.” 

“ I don’t think so,” said Commander Brown- 
son, quietly. “ But you must risk that.” 

Captain Lockwood, standing on the poop of 
the Alma, saw Harold, and waved his hand at 
the boy, at the same time calling to his mate: 

“ Go ahead there, Mr. Ball; the tide ’ll be drift¬ 
ing us off shore in a minute.” 

“ Give way, lads!” exclaimed Mr. Ball. 

The four sailors bent their backs to the oars, 


THE SHOT ACROSS THE BOW 


151 


and the boat, dragging the line, began to move 
slowly ahead. 

“ Ready with that forward 6-pounder,” said 
Captain Brownson, in a low tone. 

“ All ready, sir,” answered the division officer, 
calmly. 

The eyes of the captain of the gun sparkled 
with excitement as he eagerly waited for the or¬ 
der to fire. But it was not Commander Brown- 
son’s intention to become the aggressor. 

“ Keep steady there, my lad,” he said, quietly. 

“ Look!” exclaimed Harold, involuntarily, yet 
under his breath. 

The men of his crew heard him, and gazed in 
the direction indicated. They saw a marine on 
the poop of the Trajano slowly raise his rifle, 
take deliberate aim at the Alma's boat, and fire. 
The sharp crack of his weapon rang across the 
water, and Mr. Ball, rising in the boat, shook his 
fist at the insurgent war-ship. At the same in¬ 
stant Commander Brownson spoke in a stern, 
suppressed voice: 

“ Let her have it, lad, just abaft the stem, be¬ 
twixt wind and water.” 

Bang! 

A great fountain of white smoke spurted from 
the 6-pounder rapid-fire gun mounted on the star¬ 
board rail of the Detroit , abaft the break of the 





152 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


forecastle. But from some unaccountable cause 
the gun-captain had misunderstood the com¬ 
mander’s plain order, heard by every one else, 
and the 6-pound shell plunged into the water 
about a yard ahead of the Trajana's stem, throw¬ 
ing a shower of spray over her forecastle. Imme^ 
diately Commander Brownson signalled the en¬ 
gine-room to stop the engines, and as the Detroit 
drifted ahead, he said : 

“ Train all guns on the TrajanoP 

“ Left, ha-a-nd-somely,” came the low orders 
of the gun-captains; and the trainers swung the 
breeches of the guns slowly to the left till the 
yawning muzzles pointed directly at the insur¬ 
gent ship. 

“ Steady, lad,” said Harold, in a low voice, to 
Peter, who was holding a taut lock-string. 

“Don’t worry, sir,” was the reply. “I won’t 
pull till I gets orders.” 

“ Trajano there!” 

Commander Brownson’s sharp hail cut the air 
like a keen sword. 

“ Aye, aye,” came the sullen response. 

“ If you fire again,” called the commander, in 
a clear, high tone, which must have made every 
word audible to Admiral Da Gama aboard the 
Libertade, “ I will return your fire, and if you per¬ 
sist in firing, I will sink you.” 


THE SHOT ACROSS THE BOW 


153 


There was not a heart aboard the Detroit that 
did not leap with exultant pride as these brave 
words rang out, and as for Captain Lockwood, he 
threw up his cap and emitted a stentorian cheer. 
The insurgents appeared to be completely amazed. 
For fully a minute not a movement was made 
aboard the Trajano , though her officers could be 
seen in anxious consultation. Finally, at the ex¬ 
piration of two minutes, she fired a gun from her 
port battery, her starboard side being towards 
the Detroit. Such an action is interpreted among 
men-of-war’s men to mean submission. The offi¬ 
cers of the Detroit smiled contemptuously, and 
the gun-captains looked disgusted. The little 
gunboat was forging slowly ahead under her 
own momentum, and Commander Brownson, 
again using that ringing tone which made every 
word audible to the insurgents, hailed the Alma: 

“ Aboard the bark!” 

“ Aye, aye, sir!” answered Captain Lockwood, 
with a fine emphasis on the “ sir.” 

“Go ahead to your wharf, if you wish to.” 

“ And if they fire on me ?” 

“ You go ahead; I will protect you.” 

The crew of the Alma cheered, and the four 
men in the boat with Mr. Ball carried their 
warp to the ship ahead. The Detroit's engines 
were started again, and she moved forward with 




154 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG- 


only mere steerageway. She was now drawing 
abreast of the Guandbara , and in a moment it 
was seen that the crew of this insurgent ship was 
at quarters. The eight Armstrong rifles and the 
machine-guns had been cast loose, loaded, and 
trained on the Detroit. 

“ Perhaps now we shall get a broadside,” mur¬ 
mured Harold. 

“Well, sir,” whispered Peter, “we mustn’t 
keep wot isn’t ourn, an’ so I reckon we’ll give it 
back.” 

“Train on the Guandbara ,” said Mr. Crane. 

The muzzles of the Detroit'’s guns swung slowly 
so as to bear on the vessel. 

“ Guandbara there!” 

It was Commander Brownson’s voice once 
more. 

“Tell your men to handle their lock-strings 
very carefully. See that no shots are fired by 
accident, for I am not going to regard any as 
accidental.” 

Ho answer was made to these words, and the 
Detroit passed on. 

“ Port,” said Commander Brownson to the man 
at the w T heel. 

The helm was put over, and the gunboat 
turned across the Guandbara s stern. Her en¬ 
gines were stopped and reversed, and the vessel 


THE SHOT ACROSS THE BOW 


155 


lay motionless in a position to rake both the 
Guanabara and the Trajano with her starboard 
battery. But the movement of the tide made 
it impossible for the gunboat to maintain this 
position with the limited space she had to work 
in, so Commander Brownson gave orders to get 
a buoy-rope on the starboard chain and make 
ready for letting go the anchor. Harold jumped 
to help to superintend this work, which belonged, 
of course, to the forecastle. A few minutes later 
the Detroit came to anchor with all ready for 
slipping her cable and getting under way at an 
instant’s notice. Perhaps no one was more sur¬ 
prised at the cool audacity of this manoeuvre 
than Admiral Louis Phillipe Saldanha da Gama. 






CHAPTER XXII 


A SLAP IN THE FACE 

As the Detroit lay there Harold noticed that 
several small armed vessels under the command 
of the insurgent admiral had drawn near, and 
were hovering within range of the Detroit. He 
decided that the trouble was not yet at an end. 
And he was right. The Alma was still busily 
engaged in warping in, when a loud report broke 
upon the air. All hands aboard the Detroit 
started as they saw a cloud of white smoke ris¬ 
ing from the GuanabarcCs side, and realized that 
she had fired one of her broadside guns across 
the Alma’s deck. Commander Brownson’s brow 
was black as night as he sternly said : 

“ Stand by your guns, lads.” 

Then he spoke a few low and rapid words to a 
marine, who was standing near him. The man 
raised his rifle, and, taking deliberate aim, sent a 
bullet whistling into the Guanabara’s stern-post. 
Such an action was like a contemptuous slap in 
the face, but it contained a threat that the dead¬ 
ly broadside might follow. The Guanabara re- 



“the man sent a bullet whistling into the ‘ guanabara’s’ 

STERN-POST.” 












A SLAP IN THE FACE 


157 


ceived the shot in silence. Commander Brownson 
watched the insurgent ship quietly for a minute, 
and then gave orders to lower away a boat. 
While the execution of this order was in prog¬ 
ress, the commander’s eyes slowly roamed over 
the forms of the half-dozen cadets who stood at 
their posts on deck. His gaze finally rested with 
an expression of satisfaction on Harold. 

“ Mr. King,” he called, “ come up here.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” replied Harold, starting with 
surprise. 

“You will go in the boat to the Libertade ,” 
said the captain. “ Present my compliments to 
Admiral Da Gama, and deliver to him this mes¬ 
sage.” 

Commander Brownson now spoke rapidly to 
Harold, whose attitude was one of intense atten¬ 
tion. When he had received his orders, the boy 
saluted and hurried away to the boat, an object 
of envy to every other cadet aboard the ship. He 
urged the boat’s crew to lively pulling, and was 
soon alongside the insurgent flag-ship, which was 
not over two hundred yards away He found 
Admiral Da Gama on the bridge, surrounded by 
his staff. The boy saluted respectfully, and said : 

“I have the honor to bear a message from 
Commander Brownson, commanding the United 
States steamer Detroit .” 






158 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


He paused a moment, but no one replied. 
They stood and glared at him with their spar¬ 
kling dark eyes. But, as we have already seen, 
Harold King was a lad of cool and steady nerve. 

“Commander Brownson presents his compli¬ 
ments to Admiral Da Gama,” continued Harold, 
in a clear, firm voice, “ and says that while he is 
not desirous of taking any active steps, he has 
his instructions from the admiral commanding 
the United States fleet to protect American ships 
in going to wharves. He desires to say to you 
that he will carry out those instructions by re¬ 
plying to any shots your vessels may fire; and 
should you persist in firing, he will open upon 
your ships with the Detroit's entire battery.” 

Admiral Da Gama’s face was pale and his lips 
twitched, but he answered, steadily : 

“ You will present my compliments to Com¬ 
mander Brownson, sir, and say to him that 
should he fire on my ships I shall at once lower 
my colors and request Admiral Benham to take 
command of my fleet. The gun fired to leeward 
by the Trajano was a gun of protest, not a 
challenge.” 

Harold had some difficulty in concealing his 
surprise at this remarkable message, but he con¬ 
trived to preserve the composure of his counte¬ 
nance, saluted, and returned to his boat. 


A SLAP IN THE FACE 


159 


“Give way with a will, lads,” he said to his crew 

The rhythmic click of the oars and the wash¬ 
ing of the ripples were the only sounds that were 
audible. A great silence of suspense seemed to 
hang over the harbor. The brave little Detroit , 
defiantly anchored under the guns of the Tra- 
jano , Guanabara , Libertade , and the smaller ves¬ 
sels, made an inspiring foreground to a naval 
picture whose distance was finely filled by the 
imposing hulls of the Aquidaban and the New 
York. The Detroit's boat was watched by every 
eye in both fleets. Had a single treacherous shot 
been fired at her from a Brazilian craft a terrible 
and deadly storm of iron would have followed. 
Harold sat bolt-upright in the stern-sheets, and 
did not deign to cast a glance at the rebel ships. 
He mounted swiftly to the Detroit's bridge as 
soon as he reached her side, and repeated to 
Commander Brownson the words of Admiral 
Da Gama. The veteran’s lip curled with con¬ 
tempt as he said : 

“ You will return at once, sir, to the flag-ship 
of the insurgent fleet. Present my compliments 
once more to Admiral Da Gama, and tell him 
that I have already fired on and struck his ships.” 

Some of the officers on the Detroit's bridge 
turned away to hide the smiles which this mes¬ 
sage caused. The insurgent admiral must in- 





160 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


deed have been blind if he did not see from bis 
own deck the treatment of the Guanabara. Har¬ 
old quickly returned to bis boat, and once more 
shot away towards the Libertade. Again be 
mounted her bridge, and repeated bis captain’s 
words to the admiral. 

“ Sir,” said Da Gama, “ you will say to your 
commanding officer that I have already called a 
conference of my captains, and my advice to 
them will be to surrender at once to Admiral 
Benham, and request him to carry on all negoti¬ 
ations with the Brazilian government in regard 
to our future treatment.” 

It is hardly necessary to say that when this 
proposition was subsequently conveyed to Ad¬ 
miral Benham he smiled at it. He had no de¬ 
sire to saddle himself with the settlement of 
Brazil’s family troubles. His mission was to 
protect American interests, and to stop at that. 
For the present, however, the message of Admi¬ 
ral Da Gama went no farther than the Detroit , 
where it was correctly repeated to Commander 
Brownson by Harold. The commander smiled, 
and said to his executive officer: 

“Well, Mr. Crane, I am afraid we shall not 
have any battery practice here.” 

Then he turned, and, with a kindly nod, said 
to Harold : 


A SLAP IN THE FACE 


161 


“ Have the boat hoisted, and return to your 
station, sir.” 

Harold hastened away to obey, and as he left 
the foot of the ladder leading to the bridge he 
passed close to George. 

“Lucky boy!” said George, in a low tone. 
“ You were right in it.” 

Harold returned to his post, where Peter was 
waiting for him. 

“ Wot did I tell ye, sir?” said the cockswain. 
“We kicks an’ they squeals. They’re reg’lar 
slobs!” 

“ What’s the Alma doing ?” 

“ She’s a-gettin’ nearer to the wharf.” 

“ Hello ! Here come those tugs again.” 

The two insurgent tugs steamed down close to 
the Alma. 

“Keep a sharp eye on those fellows,” said 
Commander Brownson. 

One of the tugs steamed around the Alma. 
Suddenly a dishevelled figure burst out of the 
cabin of the little steamer and sprang upon the 
rail as if about to jump into the water. A shout 
arose on the tug, and half a dozen armed men 
rushed forward and seized the young man, but 
not before he had uttered one wild cry that flew 
far across the waters : 

“ Father!” 


11 




162 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Captain Lockwood, standing near the knight- 
heads of his bark, heard the sound, and started 
as if he had been struck by a shot. 

“That was Bob’s voice!” he said. “Bob, my 
boy, where are you 

An inarticulate and muffled cry was the only 
answer. Robert Lockwood—for it was indeed 
he—had been forced back into his temporary 
prison aboard the tug, and Captain Lockwood 
began to believe he must have been the victim 
of a delusion. But Harold King had seen every¬ 
thing from the Detroit's forecastle-deck. 

“ It’s the captain’s son,” he said, “ and the reb¬ 
els have got him again.” 

“ W’ich the same,” said Peter, very sagely, “ we 
knows w’ere he are; an’ if you an’ Mister Bris- 
comb an’ me ain’t able fur to git him away, 
then them Dagos is werry much smarter than 
their ships.” 





CHAPTER XXIII 


THE “ WIG-WAG ” SIGNAL 

“How how on earth are we to manage it, 
that’s what I’d like to know,” said George. 

“Not by being impatient,” said Hal. u We 
must keep cool and think.” 

“ Right, sir,” said Peter, who was a party to 
the.council. “ As my old mother used to say, 
fust do a good deal o’ thinkin’, then a good deal 
o’ talkin’, an’ then mebbe ye’ll be fit to do a lit¬ 
tle doin’.” 

“ First of all,” said Harold, “ we must let Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood know that we saw his son in the 
hands of the rebels.” 

“ Werry good,” said Peter, “an’ then him an’ 
you talks it all over an’ shapes a course for wot 
are to be did next.” 

“ Exactly,” said Harold. “ But first of all we’ve 
got to get permission to go ashore, so that—” 

“Mr. King, the first lieutenant wants to see 
you,” said a messenger, coming up. 

In a few minutes Harold returned with beam¬ 
ing eyes. 






164 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ It’s the finest kind of luck,” he said, “ but 
I’m ordered to go ashore on an errand. I have 
permission to take you with me, Geordie, and 
Peter’s to be our cockswain.” 

“ When are we to go ?” asked George. 

“ Eight away,” answered Hal. 

“ Werry good, too,” said Peter. “ I goes an’ I 
gets the boat.” 

Harold had already reported his orders to the 
officer of the deck, and in a few minutes the boat 
was at the starboard gangway. The boys set 
off for the shore in good spirits, and were not 
long in finding their way to the Alma, where 
they were heartily welcomed by Captain Lock- 
wood and Minnie. 

“That was a great time we had two days 
ago,” said the captain. “ But I’ll admit that 
although I came to the wharf I was sorry to see 
the American ships return to their berths with¬ 
out giving Da Gama a thrashing.” 

“But you forget Frank!” exclaimed Hal. 

“ Well, for his sake I’m glad there was no 
fight.” 

“We have some news for you,” said Hal. 

“ About Bobert ?” exclaimed the captain. 

“ He’s in the hands of the rebels,” said George. 

“ Oh, I’ve learned that,” said the captain. “ It 
was Bob that called to me from the tug the 


165 


THE ci WIG-WAG” SIGNAL 

other day. But ray agent here can’t find out 
where he is now.” 

“Then they have him hidden somewhere,” 
said Hal. 

“ That’s it; but where ?” 

“Frank is our man,” said Hal, after a mo¬ 
ment’s thought. “He must get his friend Bennos 
to find out for him.” 

“ Do you think Bennos will do it ?” asked the 
captain. 

“I don’t know,” replied Hal, “but I see no 
other way. Anyhow, captain, you work your 
ivay, and we’ll try to communicate with Frank. 
Between the two we ought to get something.” 

The boys now went to attend to their errand, 
and in a short time were on their way back to 
the ship. While they had been ashore Frank 
had heard a piece of news that filled him with 
the deepest anxiety. The boy had picked up 
enough of the language to understand a good 
deal more than the Brazilians thought he did, 
and he had overheard a conversation which 
made him intensely anxious to communicate 
with his uncle. Unfortunately he was allowed 
no liberty at all, because the Brazilians, knowing 
him to be an American, had no faith in him 
now. So Frank now set about contriving some 
plan by which he could communicate with Har- 






166 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


old and George. He knew that whatever he was 
to do must be done quickly, for the Aquidaban 
might at any moment up anchor and stand out 
to sea again. But plan as he might he could 
think of no way to meet his two classmates. It 
is said that when Fortune is at her worst she 
turns favorable, and she certainly now favored 
Frank. 

“ Amigo mio ,” said Bennos, approaching him 
as he stood leaning over the talfrail; “ some men 
are to go to the beach to swim. You are to 
command the boat.” 

The beach referred to was on Engenha Island, 
near which the Aquidaban was anchored. It 
was half a mile away from the war-ship, and as 
pleasant a place for bathing as could be found 
in such foul waters. 

“All right,” said Frank. “ Are they going right 
away ?” 

“ Si, amigo” replied Bennos. 

The boat, with some twenty-five Brazilians in 
it, was brought alongside, and Frank seated him¬ 
self in the stern-sheets. 

“ How long are we allowed ?” he called to 
Bennos as the boat was pushed off. 

“ Till the next watch begins,” was the an¬ 
swer. 

That meant nearly two hours. In fifteen 


THE “WIG-WAG” SIGNAL 167 

minutes the boat was on the beach and the men 
were undressing. Frank did not feel like swim¬ 
ming in Kio Harbor. 

“ Take charge of the men,” he said to the 
principal petty officer. 

Then he walked away towards a short, bluff 
point, which terminated the beach at one end, 
and sat down on a rock. He was half lost in 
moody speculation when he chanced to notice 
that he was almost abeam of the Detroit. By 
walking around to the side of the point farthest 
from the beach, and out of sight from the deck 
of the Aquidaban , he found himself directly op¬ 
posite the American gunboat. 

“Now,” he thought, “if I could only signal 
the boys. But of course it wouldn’t do.” 

At that moment an American man-of-war’s 
boat came around the end of the island nearest 
the city. There were two officers in the stern, 
but it was impossible to identify them at the 
distance. However, as the boat advanced it 
drew nearer to the island, and Frank began to 
fancy that he recognized one of the officers as 
George. 

“They’ll be past in a few minutes and out of 
sight around the other point,” he muttered. “ I’ll 
risk it.” 

He broke a short, straight branch off a bush and 



168 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


tied his handkerchief to it, making a small but 
distinct signal flag. Then selecting a place where 
the light was good, and there was a solid back¬ 
ground of green, he began making the three mo¬ 
tions to the left which represent the letter D in 
the navy wig-wag code. D is the “ call ” letter 
of the Detroit. He made the signal half a dozen 
times in vain, and he thought the boat was about 
to pass out of sight around the end of the point, 
when suddenly the men ceased rowing. One of 
the officers in the stern took off his cap, and, 
without standing up, waved it twice to the left, 
twice to the left again, and then once down in 
front of him. That meant that the signal of 
Frank was seen and understood. 

“Jolly good thing I know my wig-wag so 
well,” thought Frank; “and if those beastly 
Brazilians should see these signals they couldn’t 
read them.” 

Frank now rapidly wig-wagged this mes¬ 
sage : 

“Frank Lockwood would like to say some¬ 
thing to Hal King or George Briscomb.” 

“We are both in this boat. Will come 
ashore,” was the answer. 

“ Pull in diagonally ; don’t let men bathing see 
you land,” signalled Frank. 

The hint was taken, and five minutes later 













169 


THE “ WIG-WAG ” SIGNAL 

the light whale-boat was scraping her keel on 
the sand behind the point. 

“It’s lucky we were sent off on an errand 
just when you were ashore,” said George, grasp¬ 
ing Frank’s hand. 

“ We’ve been to see your uncle,” said Hal. 

“ Is he well? And Minnie?” asked Frank. 

“Both are well. We had news for them,” 
said Hal. 

“ We’ve seen Bobert,” blurted out George. 

“ Where ?” demanded Frank. 

Hal rapidly told all that was known about the 
unfortunate son of the captain. 

“ That still further complicates matters,” said 
Frank. 

The anxious, strained look in the boy’s face 
made Harold grave at once. 

“ There’s something serious, isn’t there ?” he 
asked. 

“ Yes,” said Frank. 

“ Then let’s hear it right away.” 

“ Come over here.” 

The three boys went and sat down on a rock, 
and Frank opened the story of his troubles. 





CHAPTER XXIV 


A COWARDLY PLOT 

“ I suppose,” he said, “ I needn’t tell you fel¬ 
lows that I wasn’t particularly happy when you 
cleared for action the other day.” 

“ No, Frank,” said Harold; “ we thought 
about you.” 

“ I’m sure you did,” said Frank. 

“ But,” exclaimed George, “ it must have been 
a little consplation to you to know that none of 
our class are aboard the New York” 

“ But there are cadets there,” declared Frank; 
“ Watkins and Glenn and Carver—fellows we 
knew well at the Academy. Do you think I’d 
have felt like starting a 70 -pound shell in their 
direction ?” 

“No, of course not,” said Harold, warmly. 
“ George, don’t speak so hastily.” 

“Besides,” continued Frank/with great emo¬ 
tion, “ do 3 r ou think I couldn’t see the flag at 
her taffrail? A fellow doesn’t feel much like 
turning against the flag which four years of his 
life have taught him to reverence.” 








A COWARDLY PLOT 


171 


The three boys were silent for a few mo¬ 
ments, and then Frank continued: 

“But I didn’t wig-wag you to come ashore 
just to tell you what oughtn’t to be any news to 
you.” 

“ No,” replied Hal; “ but I would like to ask 
you one question about that affair.” 

“ What is it ?” 

“ What did you intend to do that day ?” 

Frank paused a few seconds before he an¬ 
swered, with much solemnity: 

“Get myself wounded if exposure to fire 
would do it.” 

“ Oh, I say, old man!” exclaimed George, in a 
shocked tone. 

“You’d have done the same thing if you’d 
been in my place,” said Frank, earnestly. 

“But fortunately for us all,” said Harold, 
soothingly, “ nothing came of the demonstra¬ 
tion.” 

“No,” replied Frank; “the kind of fighting 
that our admiral saw in your admiral’s eye 
was something we’re not accustomed to down 
here.” 

Amain the three were silent for a few seconds, 
and then Frank said : 

“ As soon as the thing was over and we had 
returned to our anchorage I went straight to 




172 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


the old man and asked leave to resign from the 
service.” 

“ And what did he say ?” asked George. 

“ He laughed at me,” answered Frank. “ He 
refused to listen to any such proposition. I tried 
to make him understand my feelings, but he was 
inflexible. He said that there could not by any 
possibility be any further collision between us 
and the United States fleet. I told him I was 
sick of the whole business anyhow, but he said 
that was no reason at all. Others were sick of 
it, too; but he had never known any service in 
which there was not discontent. He met all 
further argument on my part by a cold declara¬ 
tion that he would not accept my resignation, 
and that any attempt at desertion would be 
treated according to the usages of war.” 

“ The old brute!” exclaimed George. 

“ I answered that I had no idea of deserting; 
that I felt myself in honor bound, as he would 
not release me, to serve my time out.” 

“There doesn’t seem to be any help for it,” 
said Harold, sympathetically. 

“But he has no faith in my honor,” said 
Frank. 

“ What makes you think so ?” asked Hal. 

“ I can see that I am watched most of the 
time,” responded Frank; “and they don’t allow 


A COWARDLY PLOT 


173 


me to get out of sight. This trip ashore was 
permitted only because they know I’m with a 
boatload of men, and they don’t think I can es¬ 
cape from the island.” 

“ But Bennos ?” queried Hal. 

“Oh, I think he understands me,” answered 
Frank; “ he does not think I would desert.” 

“ I’m glad of that,” said George; “ I took quite a 
fancy to that fellow. And we may need his help.” 

“ How ?” said Frank. 

“ Never mind that now,” said Hal. “ Tell me 
first why the Aquidaban is likely to go out at 
any time.” 

“ There is a report that the government cruiser 
Nictheroy has been seen not far up the coast, 
and that she is coming down here. We intend 
to meet and engage her outside.” 

“ My!” exclaimed George; “ then there will 
be a big fight.” 

“ Yes,” said Frank; “ but she has not made 
her appearance yet. Nevertheless, we are likely 
to up anchor and go out at any moment. And 
that’s why I consider myself so lucky to catch 
you to-day. I don’t know how I should ever 
have managed to communicate with you, and 
you were my only hope.” 

“ Your only hope, Frank ? What do you 
mean ?” asked Hal. 




174 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ It is of vital importance that I get a mes¬ 
sage to my uncle, Captain Lockwood,” said 
Frank. 

“ Too bad you didn’t catch us when we were 
going ashore,” said George. 

“ Y es, we could have delivered it, of course,” 
added Hal. 

“ My uncle must be warned somehow to keep 
his weather eye lifting, because they’re brewing 
trouble for him.” 

“ Who ?” 

“ Our people—the insurgents. I overheard a 
conversation aboard the Aquidaban this morn¬ 
ing.” 

“ What was it ?” 

“ I know a heap more about their lingo now 
than they think I do,” said Frank, “or they 
would have been more careful. What I made 
out was that there’s a scheme afoot to scuttle 
the Alma at her wharf to-morrow night.” 

Harold and George looked horrified. 

“ To scuttle her ?” exclaimed Hal. 

“ Why, Frank,” declared George, “that’s not 
warfare; that’s rank piracy.” 

“ It’s a piece of contemptible cowardice,” said 
Frank, hotly; “ but it’s worthy of the rebels. 
Mind you, it’s not to be done by any of the peo¬ 
ple in the fleet. They’re a deal too careful of 


A COWARDLY PLOT 


175 


their precious hides to venture ashore. It’s to 
be done by some agent of theirs in the city.” 

“ Then we must not lose any time,” said 
George, rising. 

“Wait a moment,” said Hal. “Peter, come 
up here.” 

The cockswain left the boat and approached 
the cadets. Hal repeated Frank’s story to 
him. 

“ Do you think we could get permission to go 
ashore again to warn Captain Lockwood ?” 

“ Waal, sir, I should say as how we could, cos 
w’y, we’re here to pertect American interests, 
an’ if them isn’t they, wot are?” 

“ Good ; we’ll try it. Meantime this is what 
we need of Bennos,” said Hal, speaking rapidly 
and decidedly. “He must find out for you 
where Bob is, and you must tell us.” 

“ Suppose he doesn’t know.” 

“ Then you can’t help us. Anyhow, the bark 
must be saved first,” said Hal. 

“How am I to get word to you?” asked 
Frank. 

“ Beggin’ your pardon, sir,” said Peter, “ an’ I 
kin give a plan.” 

“ Go ahead.” 

“Write yer news an’ put it into a bottle. 
Werry good. W’en you sees our boat a-leavin’ 






176 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


the ship you chucks the bottle overboard, an’ it 
drifts down to where we picks it up, sir.” 

“ That might work,” said Frank. 

“We must try it,” said Hal. 

The friends now separated, the cadets hasten¬ 
ing back to the Detroit. They had no serious 
difficulty in obtaining permission to go ashore 
again to warn Captain Lockwood. But they 
looked in vain for the bottle which Frank was 
to throw overboard. If they had reflected, they 
would have known that they had not given him 
time enough to accomplish his purpose. Filled 
with disappointment, they made the best of their 
way to the Alma. To their dismay they learned 
that Captain Lockwood and his daughter were 
ashore. So were the mates. 

“ Here’s a go,” said Hal. “‘Ho use telling the 
sailors.” 

“ ¥e might leave a note,” said George. 

“Ho,” said Hal; “you know Captain Lock- 
wood would only laugh at it, and think we were 
easily frightened.” 

“Then we must wait till to-morrow,” said 
George. “The plot is not to be put into execu¬ 
tion till to-morrow night, you know.” 

“And in the meantime we may hear from 
Frank,” said Hal. 

They returned to their boat and started back 





A COWAEDLY PLOT 


177 

to the Detroit. When they were at a point 
directly to the southward of the AquidabarCz 
anchorage, Peter suddenly cried: 

“ There she blows! I mean there she floats— 
the bottle, sir.” 

In another minute they were alongside of it 
and had it aboard. 

“ My cousin,” said Frank’s note, “ is said to be 
confined in the house of a rebel sympathizer 
named Miguel Santos, on the great northern 
road, four miles beyond the city. I enclose 
chart of the location. But my informant is not 
sure that he is there. He is condemned to be 
shot.” 

“We must get off for the whole day to-mor¬ 
row morning, and search for the boy first,” said 
Hal. 

12 


CHAPTER XXV 


THE CADETS TO THE RESCUE 

As soon as the boys reached the Detroit , Har¬ 
old went to Mr. Crane and told him the whole 
story. 

“ How, sir,” said the cadet, “ I hope you’ll al¬ 
low Briscomb and me twenty-four hours ashore 
to warn Captain Lockwood and to help him find 
his son. And I’d like very much to have Cock¬ 
swain Morris to go with us.” 

“I must talk to the captain about this,” was 
the reply. 

Commander Brownson at once perceived that 
it was a matter of which official notice could not 
be taken without more definite information; yet 
to wait for that might mean destruction to the 
Alma. He gave the desired permission, and the 
executive officer ordered a boat to be in readi¬ 
ness to take the three friends ashore immediate¬ 
ly after quarters the next morning. It was un¬ 
derstood that they were to return to the Detroit 
in one of the Alma's boats in twenty-four hours. 
As soon as they reached the landing-place they 





THE CADETS TO TIIE RESCUE 


179 


went at once to the Alma. Captain Lockwood 
was greatly agitated by the news which they 
gave him. 

“ So they want to shoot my boy and razee the 
bark, eh?” he exclaimed. “Well, by the great 
horn spoon! I guess we’ll beat them at both 
games. But I can’t see why they’ve put Bob 
ashore. I should think they’d have kept him 
aboard one of their ships.” 

“ Beggin’ yer pardon, sir,” said Peter, “ but 
seein’ as how he are a American, they wants to 
keep their doin’s dark.” 

“ That must be it. But we haven’t any time 
to lose. We have to get horses yet.” 

“ And the bark?” asked Hal. 

“ Oh, Mr. Ball can take care of her. He’ll take 
her out of the wharf and anchor her.” 

“ But it would be better to defer doing that 
till late in the day, so that they may not have 
time to form a new plan,” said Harold. 

“ That’s so, boy; you have a clear head.” 

“And as we shall probably get back after 
dark, we ought to know where she’s going to 
be,” continued Hal. 

“ Bight again. You’re a sailor, sure.” 

“ W’ich the same he are, sir, beggin’ his pardon 
fur sayin’ so,” said the cockswain. 

The first mate was sent for and let into the 






180 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


secret, but he was instructed not to tell the 
crew. 

“Now, Mr. Ball,” said Captain Lockwood, 
“ about four o’clock or later you stand by to 
get the bark off. Anchor about just off Encha- 
das Island, bearing no’-no’theast from the wharf, 
say about three-quarters of a mile.” 

These instructions having been given the cap¬ 
tain arose to go, but Harold said : 

“ One minute, sir. It will not do for us to go 
on this expedition in uniform. Can’t you fit us 
out with some old toggery from your slop 
chest ?” 

“ Eight,” said the captain. 

“ And to make everything snug and safe,” said 
George, “I think we ought to shift somewhere 
ashore.” 

“ There’s a friend of mine who lives right on 
the outskirts of the city,” said the captain, “ and 
we can have our horses sent there, and shift 
there, too.” 

The party, consisting of the captain, the two 
cadets, and the cockswain, now arose to depart. 
The first mate was instructed to have a boat at 
the landing - float at eight o’clock to wait for 
them. 

“ Good-bye, all,” said Minnie. “ I wish I were 
a man so that I could go with you.” 





THE CADETS TO THE RESCUE 


181 


They set off with grave faces, the cockswain 
carrying the bundle of clothes to be used as dis¬ 
guises. Captain Lockwood was well acquainted 
with the city, and he knew where to procure 
horses. It was decided that they should get the 
animals at once and ride out to the house of the 
captain’s friend. An extra horse for Kobert 
was to be sent after them. On arriving at their 
destination Senor Pereira, the friend of Captain 
Lockwood and a loyal Brazilian, heard their 
story, and said that he was ready to give them 
every assistance. He knew the house of Miguel 
Santos, and suggested that they should all ride 
out in that direction in the afternoon and recon¬ 
noitre. As soon, therefore, as they had eaten, 
they mounted their horses and set off. In spite 
of the gravity of the occasion George could not 
help laughing. 

“ Senor Pereira,” he said, “ did you ever see 
anything more absurd than four sailors on horse¬ 
back?” 

The polite Brazilian made some courteous re¬ 
mark, but Peter shook his head, and said : 

“Werry bad, werry bad; but not no wuss nor 
a sea-sick sojer aboard ship, w’ich the same he are 
’most as distressin’ a sight as a cat in swim min’.” 

The four miles were soon covered, and Senor 
Pereira pointed out the house. Captain Lock- 




182 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


wood was very excited, and the boys had much 
difficulty in calming him. Suddenly, as they 
walked their horses slowly past the place, Harold 
exclaimed, in a suppressed voice : 

“ I see him!” 

Captain Lockwood looked in the direction in¬ 
dicated, and there was his son in an upper room. 

“There are no bars to the window,” said 
George; “ why doesn’t he escape ?” 

“ He must be fastened in some way,” said Hal. 

“ Nothing but chains would hold him,” said 
the captain. 

“Then we must bring a steel saw to-night,” 
said Hal. 

“ Have you thought of a way to reach him ?” 
asked George. 

“ W’ich the same I have did,” said Peter, sig¬ 
nificantly. 

“ Did he see us ?” asked the captain. 

“No,” said Hal; “but we ought to let him 
know that we are around.” 

They turned back and rode past the house 
again. Captain Lockwood began to whistle a 
peculiar tune. Robert heard it, raised his head, 
and saw his father, who at once laid his finger 
on his lips, and rode on. They now returned to 
Senor Pereira’s. The Brazilian sent a servant 
to purchase a steel saw, and now there was noth- 



THE CADETS TO THE RESCUE 


183 


ing to do but wait for darkness. As soon as it 
was dusk the rescuers set off, Peter having pro¬ 
vided himself with a large coil of rope. When 
they arrived at a point about two hundred 
yards away from the Santos house, they led 
their horses into the woods and made them fast. 
Then they stole on foot to the rear of the 
house. 

“ Georgie,” whispered Harold, “ here’s your 
chance. You used to be fond of playing Indian 
scout. Now see if you can find out where the 
people of the house are.” 

George needed no second bidding. Pulling 
off his shoes, he threw himself on his breast in 
the thick grass and crawled away. He was 
gone more than half an hour and his friends 
became very anxious, when suddenly he reap¬ 
peared. 

“ It’s all right,” he said. “ The family is just 
going to bed; they are evidently early risers. 
There are two men with rifles in a front room 
on the first floor, but they have a table with a 
bottle of wine and cards on it. They’ll be too 
interested to watch their prisoner.” 

They waited about three-quarters of an hour 
longer, and then Peter was directed to go ahead 
with his scheme. The seaman at once climbed 
a tall tree at one side of the house, carrying an 






184 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


end of his rope up with him. Harold followed 
him. A long branch of this tree extended near¬ 
ly over the roof, and climbing out on it, Peter, 
with a sailor’s dexterity, cast the bight of the 
rope around a chimney. He now made the 
ends fast to the tree limb. Then taking another 
piece about thirty feet long he slung it around 
his body, and by means of his extemporized 
bridge, he crossed hand over hand to the roof, 
Harold following him. The piece of rope which 
Peter took over was made fast immediately above 
the window where Robert had been seen, and 
then Peter descended by it to the window-sill. 
The window was latched. Peter laughed quiet¬ 
ly, and taking out his knife inserted it betiveen 
the two sashes and freed the latch. He stepped 
into the room, which was pitch dark. 

“ Who’s that ?” called a voice. 

“ Are you Robert Lockwood ?” asked the cock¬ 
swain. 

“ Yes.” 

“ We’re here fur to save you. Come with 
me.” 

“ I’ve got chains on my ankles.” 

Peter examined them and found them too 
heavy to saw through in a short time. So he 
made the end of his rope fast around the boy’s 
body and climbed back to the roof, where he 





« 


5) 


THE CAPTAIN SAW HIS SON DESCENDING, 







THE CADETS TO THE RESCUE 


185 


and Harold, with much labor, hauled the boy 
out through the window until he hung suspend¬ 
ed in the air. A moment later the captain saw 
his son descending to the ground. He started 
forward quickly, and the next instant the boy was 
clasped in his father’s arms. As soon as Peter 
and Harold had descended, they lifted Robert 
and carried him to his horse in the woods. 

“ You’ll have to ride side-saddle fashion, Bob,” 
said the captain, laughing. 

“ I can ride that way as well as any other,” 
replied the boy. 

Their progress w^as slow, but in three-quarters 
of an hour they were at Senor Pereira’s. There 
a cold chisel was obtained, and, not being afraid 
to make a noise, the chains were cut from Rob¬ 
ert’s ankles. The horses were left at the house 
of the Brazilian, to be returned in the morning; 
the cadets and Peter put on their uniforms, and, 
with many expressions of gratitude to Senor 
Pereira, the party set olf at a brisk walk for the 
wharf. Minnie and Mr. Ball had rowed the 
dingy ashore themselves, and were waiting for 
the party. Just as Captain Lockwood set his 
foot on the inshore end of the wharf a splutter 
of dampness broke against his face. 

“ What’s that ?’’ he exclaimed. “ Fog, as Pm 
a living man.” 






186 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ It ’ll be a werry bad job to find your bark, 
sir,” said Peter. “ Cos w’y ? huntin’ fur a wessel 
in a fog are like huntin’ fur whales in Broadway, 
Hew York.” 


t 


CHAPTER XXVI 


LOST IN THE FOG 

It was difficult even to find the landing-float, 
so dense was the oily blackness which the fog 
spread over the whole shore and bay. 

“ It are werry much like lookin’ down the 
neck o’ a bottle o’ ink,” muttered Peter. 

But presently Mr. Ball heard their footsteps, 
and in a low voice called out: 

“ Is that you, cap’n ?” 

“ All right,” answered the skipper; “ here we 
are.” 

The next minute they were in the boat, and 
Minnie, half crying, had her arms around her 
brother’s neck. Mr. Ball, Peter, and the two ca¬ 
dets took the oars. 

“ Wait a bit,” said the captain; “ let’s get our 
bearings. You anchored just where I told you, 
Ball ?” 

“ Yes, sir, but I’m sorry—” 

“ Sorry for what ?” 

“ I couldn’t find a boat compass to bring 
ashore.” 




188 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Goodness!” exclaimed the captain, “ there 
are three aboard, but they’re all in the locker in 
my cabin.” 

“ Well, sir,” said Peter, after a moment of si¬ 
lence, “ I reckon we got to feel fur her.” 

“We’ll be mighty lucky if we find her,” said 
Hal. 

“ Yes, but we can’t stay here,” said George. 

“Couldn’t we wait till the fog lifts?” asked 
Hal. 

“ These fogs in Kio Harbor generally hang on 
all night,” replied Captain Lockwood. “ If it 
wasn’t for Minnie we might lie right here till 
daylight.” 

“ Oh, papa, please, please don’t think about 
me,” said the girl; “ think about saving Kobert.” 

“An’ beggin’ your pardon once again, sir,” 
said Peter, “ if we stays here till daylight, an’ 
the fog lifts, doesn’t we stand a good chance fur 
to be seed by some o’ them rebel tugs afore we 
git off to the bark ?” 

“ Why, of course, cocks’n,” said the captain. 
“You’ve got your wits about you. We must 
do the best we can to find the Alma. Let’s see, 
now. This wharf here runs about due north 
and south. We must get our bearings as well 
as we can from that. Give ’way, lads.” 

The four oars dipped into the water and the 


LOST IN THE FOG 


189 


boat started. The landing-float was instantane¬ 
ously hidden from sight, and the boat appeared 
to be floating in darkness. 

“ It’s a mean, dirty night,” said the captain. 

“ I am not in love with it,” said George. 

“ It has one advantage,” said Harold. 

‘‘What’s that?” asked the captain. 

“ If we can’t find the Alma , they can’t either.” 

“ True enough,” answered the captain; “ but 
I don’t think they would undertake to harm her 
while she’s out in the bay.” 

“ ¥e must be pretty nearly there,” said 
George. 

“ Oh no,” said Mr. Ball; “ we haven’t pulled 
three hundred yards yet, and she’s a good three- 
quarters of a mile out.” 

They rowed on for several minutes in silence. 
Then they ceased pulling, and listened. 

“ I don’t hear a sound,” said the captain. “ I 
think we might try a hail now.” 

“ Yery well, sir,” said Harold. 

“ Alma ahoy!” shouted the captain. 

They all waited, but there was no reply. 

“ We’re not far enough out to be heard in 
this fog,” said Hal; “ let’s pull ahead.” 

For a few minutes nothing was heard save 
the monotonous click of the oars in the row- 
locks. 





190 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“I think we’d better try it again,” said the 
captain. 

He lifted up his voice and shouted the name 
of the bark once more, but again there was no 
reply. 

“Young gentlemen,” said the captain, “I’m 
afraid we’ve missed her.” 

All hands were silent for a moment. They 
knew too much about the water to question the 
judgment of an experienced mariner like Captain 
Lockwood. 

“ Don’t you think, sir,” said Hal, “ that we 
must try to find her ?” 

“ Of course,” said the captain. “ But if we do 
find her it ’ll be because we stumble on her by 
chance.” 

“ I’m mortally sorry about this,” said Mr. 
Ball. 

“It’s not your fault, Ball; you’ve done the 
best that could be done in the circumstances.” 

“ Why, we can steer by the wind !” exclaimed 
George. “ I remember distinctly how it was 
blowing when we started out.” 

“ Oh, Georgie, Georgie,” said Harold, with 
comic dismay; “ that’s a dreadful break for a 
fellow who was brought up on the sea-coast.” 

“ Why, I’d like to know—” 

“ A wind, sir,” said Peter, “ are like a young 


LOST IN THE FOG 


191 


woman’s mind, beggin’ your pardon, miss. It 
changes w’en ye don’t know it are a-movin’ 
at all.” 

George was silent, and presently they began 
to row again. Even while they had been lying 
on their oars the boat’s head had swung about 
three points unknown to them, and they were 
now pulling down the bay. They were already 
half a mile below Isla de Cobras, though they 
thought themselves half-way across to Nictheroy. 
Presently they paused, and the captain again 
shouted : 

“ Alma ahoy!” 

But there was no answer. 

“ We must row on,” said the captain ; “ that’s 
our only chance.” 

The four oarsmen bent their backs to the oars 
again. For nearly two hours they pulled in 
every direction, as they imagined, but in reality 
in a zigzag course down the bay. At the end 
of that time they were outside of the bay and in 
the cove just behind Sugar Loaf Mountain, though 
they believed themselves to be up near Engenha 
Island. 

“ There’s no use of killing ourselves,” said the 
captain. “ We’re in for a night in the streets, 
and we may as well let her drift.” 

A moment later Harold said : 











192 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Listen ! I hear water lapping against a rock 
or a ship.” 

“ Look !” said George, “ there’s something; 
it’s a vessel.” 

A dark mass loomed above them in the fog, 
and the boat drifted against the side of the ship. 

“ Whoever she is,” said Captain Lockwood, 
“ she’ll not refuse us shelter. On deck, there!” 

“Wait, wait!” cried Harold, who had placed 
his hand against the vessel’s side and discovered 
that it was iron. 

It was too late, however. Lights flashed along 
the ship’s rail, and a voice hailed them in Spanish. 

“ Speak ‘ English,’ ” said Captain Lockwood. 

“ In the boat there,” called a firm young 
voice; “ come aboard and surrender yourselves.” 

They had no choice but to obey the order, 
and climbing aboard, they found themselves face 
to face with Frank Lockwood. 

“ Uncle Hiram! Bob!” he exclaimed. 

“ It seems we’re your prisoners, Frank,” said 
Robert, bitterly. 

“An’ all that horseback ridin’ fur nothin’,” 
muttered Peter. 



CHAPTER XXVII 


HAROLD USES STRONG WORDS 

“I suppose we’re aboard the Aquidaban ,” said 
Captain Lockwood, after a few moments of si¬ 
lence. 

“That is true,” said Frank; “though for the 
life of me I can’t understand how you came 
here.” 

“ Lost in the fog, my boy, trying to get aboard 
the AlmaA 

“ Then she has left her wharf ?” 

“ Yes, she’s safe at anchor.” 

“ And you’ve all been ashore to rescue Bob?” 

“ That’s it.” 

“ But, Uncle Hiram, this is simply terrible. 
He’s under sentence of death, and here the whole 
lot of you have walked straight into the lion’s 
jaws.” 

“ It seems that I am doomed to bad luck,” ex¬ 
claimed Kobert. “ I’d better end it all now; 
there’s plenty of water here.” 

He made a movement towards the ship’s rail, 
but Harold and George seized him. 

13 




194 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Wait a bit, sir,” said Peter ; “ never sink so 
long as ye can swim, an’ there ain’t no hole 
knocked into ye yet.” 

“ My son,” said Captain Lockwood, gravely, 
“ there must be a way out of this. Be patient.” 

“ Bob, old fellow,” said Frank, “ I’ve suffered 
enough since I was such a fool as to enlist under 
a foreign flag. Don’t add to my misery. We 
must find a way to save you. Do you know 
where you are?” 

“ Never a bit, except that we’re on Mellows 
deck,” answered the captain. 

“ You’re in the cove just south of the Sugar 
Loaf.” 

“ Great Scott!” exclaimed Hal; “ we must have 
rowed over four miles trying to find the bark.” 

“ But now that we’re here,” said Captain Lock- 
wood, “ what’s to be done with us ?” 

“I don’t know,” said Frank; “I haven’t made 
any report yet. I was ordered to find out who 
you were and what you were about. If you’ll 
just wait here till I report, I’ll soon be able to 
let you know.” 

Frank hastened away and laid the case before 
the officer of the deck, who fortunately chanced 
to be his good friend Boderigo Bennos. 

“ You must tell the captain,” said Bennos. 

Accordingly he directed Frank to carry the 






HAROLD USES STRONG WORDS 


195 


report in person to the commanding officer. The 
boy did as he was ordered, but he did not deem 
it necessary to say that the American skipper 
who had come aboard was the captain of the 
bark Alma. 

“ Let them remain,” said the commanding 
officer. 

“ But if they should wish to go ashore when 
the fog lifts V 9 

“ Let them remain till I am ready to talk to 
them.” 

Frank saluted and left the cabin. He under¬ 
stood that, although nothing of the kind had 
been directly said, the Alma's party were pris¬ 
oners. The boy was hot with indignation, but 
he had no tangible fact to grasp, and even if he 
had he would not have profited by expostula¬ 
tion. 

“ You are to remain aboard the ship for the 
present,” he said, when he had rejoined his 
friends. 

“ And Bob ?” demanded the captain. 

“ Well,” said Frank, “ perhaps no one will re¬ 
cognize him, and you may be able to get him off 
when you go.” 

“But,” said Hal, “if they should afterwards 
discover who he was, Frank, you w r ould be in 
serious trouble for letting him go.” 



196 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“I’ll take my chances of that,” said Frank, 
decisively. 

“ God bless you!” said Captain Lockwood, 
wringing his nephew’s hand. 

At that moment the shriek of a boatswain’s 
pipe arose, and a command was shouted. 

“ What’s that ?” asked George. 

“ It’s up anchor,” said Frank. “ I suppose 
we’re going up the bay. We came down only 
last night, but up and down like a seesaw ap¬ 
pears to be a large part of our business.” 

“ What’s to become of my boat ?” asked the 
captain. 

“ We’ll tow it up,” answered Frank. 

“ I suppose that ’ll do,” said the captain. 

He was by no means satisfied with the aspect 
of affairs, yet there was nothing that seemed to 
call for a serious complaint. The monotonous 
clanking of the heavy cable was now the onty 
sound that disturbed the night. The fog was 
drifting off in w T rithing shreds among the cran¬ 
nies of the mountains, and the dim light of a 
young crescent moon fell across the peaceful 
waters. Presently the ship began to swing 
slowly around, showing that the anchor was 
aweigh. Then the calm of the night was sud¬ 
denly broken by the blare of a bugle. 

“ What’s that ?” asked Hal, with a sudden start. 


HAROLD USES STRONG WORDS 


197 


“That’s quarters,” said Frank. “We never 
attempt to go into the bay without going to 
quarters. As soon as we poke our bow out of 
the cover of this mountain Fort Santa Cruz will 
open on us.” 

“ But,” said Hal, sternly, “ your commander 
has no right to put us under fire of the fort. 
Your uncle and cousin are non-combatants, and 
George and I are officers in the service of a 
neutral power.” 

“ I know all that, Hal,” said Frank. “ I’ll see 
Uncle Hiram and Minnie, together with Bob, in 
a place of safety—though, for the matter of that, 
almost any place is safe, for they seldom hit us 
—but I don’t see that I can do anything for 
you.” 

“ Let me see the captain.” 

Harold’s request was taken to the cabin and 
he was invited to enter. An interpreter had to 
be provided, and then the boy said: 

“ We are citizens of the United States placed 
aboard your vessel by accident. Our boat is 
towing astern, and we desire to leave your ship.” 

“ It is not convenient for me to stop now,” 
was the reply. 

“ I protest, sir, against your course as out¬ 
rageous,” said the boy, calmty and firmly. 

“ Your protest is of no avail,” was the answer. 




198 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ You have no right to place two American 
officers and an American seaman under fire,” 
said Harold. 

“ If the American officers are afraid they are 
at liberty to go below the water-line,” said the 
Brazilian commander. 

“ Afraid!” exclaimed Harold. “We come 
from the Detroit .” 

At these words- the Brazilian’s face became 
very stern. 

“ You will remain aboard this ship,” he said, 
“ till we reach our anchorage. We shall then 
set you ashore ; not before. As for the mer¬ 
chant captain and his children, we shall do as we 
like with him.” 

“ Very well, sir,” said Harold, taking advan¬ 
tage of the officer’s mistake ; “ I shall make it 
my business to have this affair reported in detail 
to Admiral Benham, and if you do the slightest 
harm to Captain Lockwood or his children you 
may rely upon it that the commander of the 
American fleet will blow you out of the water.” 

With these words the boy turned and strode 
out of the cabin without saluting. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 


A SHELL THROUGH THE PORT 

The boy rejoined his party on deck and re¬ 
ported the failure of his mission. 

“ They’re a line lot,” said Captain Lockwood. 

At this moment Frank, who had been attend¬ 
ing to his duties in preparing the guns for 
action, returned. 

“ Come,” he said to Captain Lockwood, “ you 
and Minnie and Bob must be put in a place of 
safety.” 

“ I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t for her,” said the 
sturdy old seaman. 

“ Oh, nonsense!” exclaimed George. “ You 
don’t want to give these fellows the satisfaction 
of seeing you hurt, do you? Besides, it may 
prevent Bob from being recognized.” 

They all descended to the gun-deck, where 
Frank paused to point out to them the par¬ 
ticular gun which he commanded. 

“ I don’t wonder you’re sick of the whole busi¬ 
ness,” said Hal. 

Just then the captain of the ship appeared, 




200 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


and calling Frank to him asked what he was 
doing. The boy explained briefly. The Brazil¬ 
ian captain smiled, and said : 

“ Tell your two young naval friends that I 
should be delighted to give them guns to com¬ 
mand.” 

“ I wonder what he’s talking about ?” asked 
George, who saw from the man’s face that the 
words referred to himself and Harold. 

Frank went over to the boys and repeated his 
superior oflicer’s words. 

“ The impudent old scoundrel!” exclaimed 
George. 

“ Bully boy!” said Captain Lockwood. 

Minnie’s face expressed alarm mingled with 
admiration for the boy’s boldness. The Bra'zil- 
ian commander stepped over to where they were 
standing. 

“ Accept my compliments, sir,” said Harold, 
looking the Brazilian full in the eye, “ and un¬ 
derstand that we both command guns which 
your friends aboard the Guanabara did not care 
to hear speak.” 

The oflicer’s face flushed, and he spoke sharply 
to Frank: 

“ Put those two young men under arrest.” 

Frank turned pale and stood speechless and 
motionless. 


A SHELL THROUGH THE PORT 


201 


“ Do you hear my order 2” demanded the cap¬ 
tain. 

“ Sir,” said Frank, drawing his sword and 
offering the hilt to his commander, “ I cannot 
obey that order.” 

The Brazilian stood for an instant regarding 
the boy with amazement. 

“ Cannot obey!” he ejaculated. 

“ No, sir,” said Frank ; “ these gentlemen are 
my countrymen, my classmates, my friends. It 
is not—” 

“ Enough, sir! Do as I bid you, or I will—” 

“ I don’t care what you do!” cried Frank. “ I 
have suffered too much already in the service of 
a foreign flag. I have tried to resign, but you 
have refused to let me. Now I wish I could 
die. But so sure as there is a sun in the heav¬ 
ens, so sure will I refuse now and forever to lift 
my hand against the American flag or any man 
who serves it.” 

The Brazilian drew his revolver and levelled 
it at the boy. Harold and George both sprang 
before him, the former seizing his arm. 

“ Here, arrest these two fellows!” cried the 
officer to the nearest gun’s crew. 

“ Are you crazy 2” asked Harold. 

At that instant the heavy roar of a gun from 
Fort Santa Cruz was heard, and a deafening 






202 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


crash told that a well-aimed shot had struck the 
Aquiddban above the deck. Captain Lockwood 
threw his arms around his terrified daughter 
and drew her to his breast. The Brazilian com¬ 
mander with a mighty effort gained control of 
himself. 

“We shall speak of this matter at another 
time,” he said to Frank. “ Your friends may 
remain at liberty. To your station !” 

The boy saluted and went to his gun. A 
petty officerded Captain Lockwood, Kobert, and 
Minnie to a safe place behind the armor belt. 
Harold and George remained on the gun-deck 
quietly watching the operations. The leisurely 
manner of the Brazilians caused the American 
boys to smile contemptuously. 

“Ho wonder this war lasts so long,” said 
George. 

“And no wonder so little is accomplished,” 
added Harold. 

For once, however, the soldiers of the repub¬ 
lic in the forts seemed to be aroused to activity. 
The scene became intensely interesting. The 
powerful battle-ship was weak in propelling 
force, her engines being in poor order, and she 
moved through the narrow entrance to the har¬ 
bor slowly. She was a shining mark in the faint 
moonlight, and had the soldiers been better shots 


A SHELL THROUGH THE PORT 


203 


great damage might have been done to her. 
She was a noble sight as she thundered up the 
bay, her sides ablaze with the constant flashing 
of her mighty guns, and a vast canopy of gray 
smoke rolling over her. The forts every second 
sprang into red and glowing relief against the 
hills as their bellowing guns lit up the night 
and set the echoes booming along the rocky 
crests. Occasionally a terrific shock would be 
felt as a heavy missile struck one of the turrets 
or the armor-belt of the Aquiddban • but, as a 
rule, the shots passed harmlessly above her decks 
or plunged into the water, sending tall columns 
of ghostly spray up into the moonlight. 

Frank Lockwood was doing his duty with 
reckless bitterness. He watched the range, and 
kept the breech-sight rightly placed with cease¬ 
less vigilance. He was continually running from 
the breech of his gun to the port and giving di¬ 
rections to the gun-captain. He seemed to be 
determined that the weapon should do deadly 
work. 

“Stupid!” he exclaimed to the gun-captain; 
“ you pull your lanyard before you have covered 
your mark. What is the use of wasting ammu¬ 
nition so ?” 

The man muttered something in Portuguese. 

“ Any American cadet can shoot better. 






204 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


George, come and show him how to hit the 
fort.” 

“ Of course I will!” exclaimed George. 

He sprang forward, and was about to take the 
lanyard from the man’s hand when Harold 
seized his arm. 

“ What on earth are you thinking about ?” 
cried Hal. “ Do you want to be dismissed from 
the service ?” 

“ Dismissed ? Why ?” asked George, pausing. 

“ For firing on a friendly fort.” 

“ But it is not I who fire,” said George; “ it’s 
the Aquidaban .” 

“Nonsense!” exclaimed Harold. 

“ It’s good sense, I think,” declared George. 

“ No, old man, you’re wrong.” 

“Well, the skipper ’ll never know anything 
about it.” 

“ You can’t be sure of that.” 

“ You would tell?” 

“No; but such things can’t be kept secret. 
Some of these men would talk about it, and it 
would eventually become known.” 

“ Come, come!” cried the division officer. 
“ Why is that gun silent?” 

Frank stepped forward and took the lanyard 
from George’s hand. 

“Harold is right,” he said. “I am the onlv 



HAROLD SPRANG FORWARD WITH A LOUD CRY. 


































A SHELL THROUGH THE PORT 


205 


American naval cadet who has a right to do this 
—*1, Frank Lockwood, the mercenary.” 

The boy bent down and glanced along the 
sights, giving orders to the trainers and elevators 
in a firm tone. Suddenly he jerked the lanyard, 
and the gun roared out its message. At almost 
the same instant there was a deafening report, 
a blinding glare, and a great cloud of dust and 
smoke. A small shell from the fort had entered 
the port and exploded against the gun-carriage, 
shattering it and dismounting the gun. For a 
few seconds no one could see what had hap¬ 
pened. A moment later the smoke cleared away, 
and it was discovered that one man lay stretched 
upon the deck. Harold sprang forward with a 
loud cry: 

“ It’s Frank!” 







CHAPTER XXIX 


AN ANXIOUS VIGIL 

In an agony of fear and grief Harold and 
George bent over their classmate, and sought 
to ascertain the nature of his injury. 

“ Oh, Frank!” exclaimed George; “ can’t you 
speak ?” 

“ He’s unconscious,” said Harold. “ He ought 
to be removed to the sick-bay.” 

“ These fellows don’t seem to know what to 
do,” said George, impatiently. 

“ I wish Bennos were here,” Harold said. 

One of the sailors seemed to catch the boy’s 
meaning. 

“ Bennos!” he ejaculated. “ Si, si, Bennos.” 

The man hastened away. At the same mo¬ 
ment the firing ceased. The Aquidaban had 
passed out of accurate range of the forts and 
was opposite the city. The bugles sounded the 
order to secure, and presently the guns were put 
to rest for the night. Bennos came running 
along the deck while the bugles were still 
sounding. 


AN ANXIOUS VIGIL 


207 


“ Oh , amigo mio /” he cried, sorrowfully, as he 
saw Frank’s unconscious form. 

He speedily gave orders for the removal of the 
boy to the sick-bay. He was evidently indignant 
that so many precious minutes had been wasted. 

“ Perhaps he’ll bleed to death; no one will 
care,” said the young Brazilian, angrily. 

A stretcher was brought and Frank was 
placed on it. Two stalwart seamen carried 
him to the sick-bay, w^here the ship’s surgeon 
at once began to undress him preparatory to 
making an examination. Harold and George 
stood outside the door of the room in feverish 
anxiety. They turned their heads at the sound 
of heavy footsteps, and saw Captain Lockwood, 
Bob, and Minnie coming towards them. The 
boys grew a shade paler, and looked at one an¬ 
other anxiously. 

“ What shall we say to him ?” asked Harold. 

“ Or to her ?” said George. 

The captain approached with a smile, and said: 

“ Thought you’d get down out of the line of 
fire, too? Well, that shows your good sense. 
You’d be mighty stupid to take chances of get¬ 
ting hurt in a quarrel that don’t concern you.” 

“ Oh, the firing’s all over now,” said George^ 
with an attempt to be cheerful. “ Robert ought 
to keep out of sight, sir.” 




208 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“Oh, this deck’s about deserted. Well, for 
my part, I’m glad the firing’s done; aren’t you, 
Minnie ?” 

“ Oh yes, father; I think it’s terrible, and I 
can’t help fancying I see some poor fellow torn 
by shot.” 

“Not so very much danger of that in a ship 
of this sort, is there, boys ?” 

“ No; not so much as in a wooden ship,” said 
George. 

“Still,” said Harold, gravely, “men do get 
hurt sometimes in the most powerful battle¬ 
ships.” 

“ I hope no one has been hurt on this ship,” 
said Minnie, with apprehensive eyes. 

The boys were silent. 

“ Some one has been hurt,” said the captain. 

“ I was sure of it from the way you talked,” 
said Minnie. 

A faint moan was heard coming from the room 
behind the boys. 

“ What’s that ?” asked the captain, starting. 

“ What place is this ?” inquired Minnie. 

“ This is the sick-bay,” said Harold. 

“ That’s the ship’s hospital,” explained Captain 
Lockwood. “ But why do you stand in front of 
the door ?” 

“We are waiting to know whether our friend 



AN ANXIOUS VIGIL 


209 


is badly wounded,” said Harold, in a trembling 
voice. 

“ Your friend? Why, say, it’s not that nice 
young Brazilian officer, is it ?” 

Again the boys were silent. 

“ Oh, father!” cried Minnie, “they don’t dare 
to tell us. It’s Frank!” 

The stout old merchant captain staggered as 
if he had received a heavy blow. 

“ Don’t tell me it’s the boy!” he said. 

Harold grasped the honest mariner’s hand. 

“ I wish to Heaven I could tell you it was not,” 
he said. 

For a few moments the captain was speechless, 
while Minnie cried quietly. 

“ Are the doctors working over him in there ?” 
Robert finally asked. 

“ Yes,” said George; “ and Bennos is helping 
them. We could do nothing because we don’t 
understand the language.” 

“ How did it happen ?” asked the captain. 

“ Well, sir,” said Harold ; “ Frank was not 
pleased with the marksmanship of his gun-cap¬ 
tain, so he thought he would take a shot him¬ 
self. He sighted the gun very carefully and 
fired. Almost at the same instant a small shell 
from the shore came whizzing through the port 
and burst on the side of the gun-carriage. It 

14 






210 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


must have struck the forward end of the car¬ 
riage, I think, and that’s what makes me hope 
that Frank isn’t badly hurt. The bulk of the 
carriage and the breech of the gun must have 
been between him and the explosion; so I think 
he was struck by a small fragment. Anyhow, 
when the smoke cleared away we saw him lying 
on the deck.” 

“ Unconscious ?” 

“Yes, sir; I must say that he was.” 

“ How long has he been in the sick - bay ?” 
asked Robert. 

“ About ten minutes.” 

“ Then surely they ought to be able to give 
us some news of his condition,” said the cap¬ 
tain. 

Just then Bennos opened the door of the sick¬ 
bay wide enough to speak to the boys. 

“ The doctor can’t tell yet. He must examine 
a little more,” he said. 

Bennos retired into the sick-bay, and the four 
watchers resumed their anxious vigil. The min¬ 
utes were hours long to them. The captain paced 
up and down with his hands behind his back and 
his head bowed. He looked as if he were in deep 
thought, but ever and anon a heavy sigh told that 
his heart was full of grief. The girl stood watch¬ 
ing him and occasionally wiping away her tears, 


AN ANXIOUS VIGIL 


211 


which flowed freely. George shifted about rest¬ 
lessly, but Harold stood like a statue, with clinched 
lips and strained eyes. Presently the door swung 
open and Bennos appeared once more. The four 
watchers turned eagerly, and George said : 

“ What’s the verdict ?” 

“I am glad,” said Bennos, speaking rapidly. 
a He is not badly hurt. The most trouble is the 
shock and the loss of blood. He will get well 
surely, but slowly.” 

“ Thank Heaven!” exclaimed the captain, fer- 



CHAPTER XXX 
PLACED UNDER ARREST 

The night was a long and weary one for Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood, his daughter, and the two boys. 
Bennos offered to give up his state-room to Min¬ 
nie, but she naturally declined to pass the night 
separated from her father. Through the kind 
offices of the young Brazilian they were provided 
with cushions and blankets and permitted to sleep 
on the locker in the mess-room. The two boys 
and Bobert were given hammocks and allowed 
to swing them in a roomy corner. As they over¬ 
hauled the clews and cast off the lashings George 
said, with a faint smile : 

“ Hal, this takes me back to Constellation days. 
I shouldn’t be surprised if we were turned out in 
the night to reef top-sails.” 

“ I wish there were no possibility of our being 
turned out for anything more serious,” said Har¬ 
old. 

“But you are not alarmed about Frank now, 
are you ?” 

“ I hardly know what to think,” said Hal; 


PLACED UNDER ARREST 


213 


“ I wish he was in the hands of onr own sur¬ 
geon.” 

“ Then you haven’t confidence in these fellows 
here ?” 

“ Not of the most perfect kind.” 

“ Well,” said George, thoughtfully, a they must 
know their business. It’s likely that the best 
surgeons in the service are aboard this ship.” 

Harold lay awake for a long time considering 
what was to be done in the morning. He was 
unable to solve the problem, especially as he and 
his two companions had to be aboard the Detroit 
again before ten o’clock. At length, worn out 
by the events of the day, he fell asleep and slept 
soundly till reveille. Immediately after break¬ 
fast he went to Bennos and informed him of the 
necessity of returning to the Detroit. Captain 
Lockwood, who was now at Frank’s side, was sent 
for. 

“ I’ll stay here for the present,” said the old 
mariner. “ You boys and Mr. Ball get Bob aboard 
the Alma , if it’s possible, and then Mr. Ball can 
send the boat back for me later in the day.” 

“I don’t know just how to manage about Bob,” 
said Hal. 

“ Beggin’yer pardon ag’in, sir,” said Peter, “ an’ 
I’d like to make a siggistion.” 

“ Go ahead,” said Hal. 




214 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“Waal, sir,” said the cockswain, “Mr. Robert 
he are took werry sick, werry sick, indeed; an’ 
we has to cover up his head, sir, fur to keep the 
sun from him, an’ so we carries him down into 
the boat an’ lays him along the bottom, an’ there 
he stays till he are safe.” 

“ Peter,” said Hal, “ you’re a jewel.” 

The boys now applied, through Bennos, for per¬ 
mission to leave the ship, which the Brazilian 
commander was pleased to grant. The Alma's 
boat was got alongside by Mr. Ball, and the party 
prepared to depart. 

“ Leave me to do all the yarnin’,” said Peter; 
“ cos w’y ? wot good are a sailor wot can’t tell a 
yarn, egspegially to save a young gemman 

Peter covered up Robert’s head and supported 
him to the deck as if he were very sick indeed. He 
was taken to the boat and caused to lie down. 
Minnie trembled and turned pale with anxiety 
as the boat pushed off. They had gone safely 
about fifty yards when Robert raised his head 
for some reason; a whiff of wind blew the light 
covering off it and overboard. At the same in¬ 
stant a sailor on the Aquidaban's forecastle ut¬ 
tered a loud cry and rushed aft, shouting and 
pointing at the boat. 

“You’ve been recognized,” said Hal. “Pull, 
lads, pull.” 


PLACED UNDER ARREST 


215 


“ In the boat there!” came a hail from the 
Aquidaban's deck. “ Cease rowing, or we’ll 
fire.” 

“ Pall hard,” said Harold, between his set 
teeth. 

Bang! A shell from a rapid-fire gnn struck 
the water not three feet from the boat. Minnie 
shrieked. 

“ Hold on,” said Robert, springing up. “ My 
sister mustn’t be exposed to fire. Take me back 
and surrender me.” 

“W’ich I reckon that are about all we can 
do,” said Peter. 

“ Worse luck to it,” muttered Mr. Ball. 

Slowly the boat returned to the ship’s side. 

“ Come on board, all of you,” was the order. 

It was obeyed in silence. The Brazilian com¬ 
mander was standing at the gangway. 

“So, my fine young American friends,” he 
said, “you are trying to help a condemned de¬ 
serter to escape.” 

“ Yes, he’s condemned, but I dare you to shoot 
him,” said a voice behind the Brazilian. 

Turning, the officer found himself confronted 
by Captain Lockwood, who was glaring at him 
with blazing eyes. 

“Pray, sir, what authority have you in this 
matter ?” demanded the Brazilian. 



216 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Just this,” was the reply. “I’m the captain 
of the American bark Alma , which you didn’t 
keep away from a wharf, and which your agent 
on shore didn’t destroy last night; and that 
young man is my son.” 

The Brazilian captain stared in amazement. 
For several moments he hung his head in deep 
thought. Then he said : 

“ This matter must be placed before Admiral 
Da Gama. In the meantime your son must re¬ 
main a prisoner here.” 

“ And my daughter ?” 

“ She may return with your mate to your ship.” 

“And what do you intend to do with us?” 
asked Harold. 

“ I shall report your conduct in this matter to 
your commanding officer.” 

“ You needn’t trouble yourself,” said Harold; 
“ we shall do that ourselves the moment we reach 
our ship. Our leave expires in three-quarters of 
an hour.” 

“Indeed?” said the Brazilian, with a grim 
smile. “Well, you’ll stay here till I can get a 
boat ready to send you to your ship.” 

“ Why can’t we go in Captain Lockwood’s 
boat?” asked George. 

“Because it’s not my pleasure,” was the curt 
reply, and the officer walked away. 


PLACED UNDER ARREST 


21V 


“Waal,” said Peter, “as my ole mother re¬ 
marked when she fell into the bar’l o’ vinegar, 
‘ here’s a pooty pickle.’ ” 

“ Anyhow,” said Captain Lockwood, “ Minnie 
and Mr. Ball must go to the Alma.” 

So the mate of the bark slowly pulled the 
heavy dingy away. It was over half an hour 
later when a boat was reported alongside to take 
the three Americans to the Detroit. 

“ The captain hasn’t been in any hurry about 
this,” said Harold. 

“ He has intentionally made us late,” declared 
George. 

The oarsmen in the cutter must have had or¬ 
ders to take their time, for they did not break 
their backs in pulling towards the Detroit. It 
seemed to the two boys that they would never 
reach her. They were fully one hundred yards 
away when the bell chimed out the hour of ten. 

“ Pull, you lazy rascals!” cried George. 

“ No use now, George,” said Hal; “ we’re late.” 

The cutter ran alongside the ladder and the 
two boys leaped to the deck. They found them¬ 
selves confronted by the executive officer, Mr. 
Crane. 

“ What cutter is that ?” he asked, sternly. 

“ The Aquidaban's, sir,” said George; “ we—” 

“You come from aboard her?” 



218 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Yes, sir; we were—” 

“ I didn’t ask you where you were or what you 
were doing. You got permission to go ashore 
for a specific and proper purpose, and you come 
off from an insurgent man-of-war after your 
leave has expired. You are both under arrest.” 

“ Under arrest!” exclaimed both boys. 


CHAPTER XXXI 


TRYING TO SAVE A LIFE 

When the two cadets were confined to the 
steerage they looked at one another seriously. 

“ What do you suppose they’ll do to us, Hal ?” 

“ I’m sure I don’t know,” he replied; “ if the 
charge was nothing more than overstaying our 
leave, I think we might get off easily.” 

“ Well, that’s all Mr. Crane mentioned.” 

“ I know; but you may be sure that the Bra¬ 
zilian captain will make a formal complaint 
against us for helping Robert Lockwood to es¬ 
cape.” 

“ But didn’t Commander Brownson know we 
were going to help Captain Lockwood get his 
son?” 

“ Of course ; I told him our whole plan. But 
then, you see, he had only to shut his eyes to our 
errand as long as the insurgents didn’t catch us. 
How the thing will be brought to his notice of¬ 
ficially, and he’ll be forced to take some action.” 

“All the same,” said George, “he can’t be 
very hard on us in the circumstances.” 





220 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ But Mr. Crane seemed to be very angry with 
us for being aboard the Aquidaban .” 

“Well, we can explain that.” 

“All the same, I wish this thing hadn’t hap¬ 
pened.” 

“ Me, too,” said George, ungrammatically. 

It was not more than two hours afterwards 
that Captain Lockwood arrived alongside the 

Detroit. 

“ I should like to see Cadets King and Bris- 
comb,” he said to the otficer of the deck. 

“Sorry, captain, but they’re both under ar¬ 
rest.” 

“ Arrest % What for ?” 

“Overstaying their leave and visiting the 
Aquidaban .” 

“ Why, they couldn’t help visiting her, and as 
for overstaying their leave, if they did, it was 
the Brazilian’s doing, for he wouldn’t put them 
aboard in time.” 

Mr. Harniss looked grave, and called for the 
orderly. 

“ Tell Commander Brownson that Captain 
Lockwood wishes to see him.” 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” said the marine, departing on 
his errand. 

“But I haven’t said anything of the sort,” 
said the captain. 


TRYING TO SAVE A LIFE 


221 


“ You must tell the commander your story,” 
said Mr. Harniss, “so as to set the boys right 
with him. It rests with him to release them 
without ordering a court-martial.” 

“ I think I can make it all right,” said the cap¬ 
tain. 

The orderly returned and took the merchant- 
skipper to the cabin. 

“ Good - afternoon, Captain Lockwood,” said 
Commander Brownson. “What can I do for 
you ?” 

“ You can’t do anything for me, sir, but now 
that I’m here I want to thank you for the pro¬ 
tection your ship gave my bark the other day.” 

“ Oh, don’t talk about that,” said the com¬ 
mander. “ You know that’s what we’re here 
for.” 

“Well, sir, I won’t say anything more about 
it, if you don’t want me to.” 

“ I’m sure you didn’t come to see me about 
that.” 

“Ho, sir; I came to see my young friends 
Cadets King and Briscomb, and I find they’re 
under arrest. I know their offence was unavoid¬ 
able, sir.” 

“ How’s that ? Let me hear all about it.” 

Captain Lockwood rapidly narrated the events 
of the preceding night, laying especial stress on 







222 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


Harold’s coolness and courage. It speedily be¬ 
came apparent to Commander Brownson that 
the two young men had not intentionally vio¬ 
lated the conditions of their leave, and the com¬ 
mander readily understood that the Brazilian 
captain had revenged himself by making them 
late. He sent for Harold and questioned him 
closety about the matter. The boy’s frank and 
unhesitating answers convinced the commanding 
officer of his innocence. He dismissed the young 
cadet and sent for the executive officer. 

“ Mr. Crane,” he said, “ I am afraid we have 
made a slight mistake.” 

At the commander’s request Captain Lock- 
wood repeated his story to Mr. Crane, and the 
commander himself repeated the substance of 
his conversation with Harold. 

“ There is only one thing to do, sir,” said Mr. 
Crane. 

“ What, sir ?” asked the commander. 

“ The young men must be released from arrest 
at once, and it must be made known that their 
conduct has been satisfactory.” 

“ You will attend to it at once. And now, 
Captain Lockwood, you may see your young 
friends.” 

“Well, sir, what I was going to say to them 
would have had to come to you in the end, so as 


TRYING TO SAVE A LlfrE 


223 


long as I’m here I’d like to tell it to you my¬ 
self.” 

“ Go ahead, captain.” 

The merchant skipper proceeded to tell Com¬ 
mander Brownson the stories of his son and his 
nephew down to the preceding night. 

“ Now, sir,” he said, “ I wish first of all to save 
my son from being shot; I suppose that’s natu¬ 
ral enough, isn’t it ?” 

“ My dear sir,” said the commander, “ you 
have my deepest sympathy.” 

“And, secondly, I want to get my nephew 
aboard my own bark, where my daughter and I 
can nurse him.” 

“ I am afraid that cannot be accomplished. 
You see, he’s an officer. Besides, what would 
you do for a physician ?” 

“I am acquainted with the best doctor in 
Rio, and I could get him to come off every 
day.” 

Commander Brownson reflected for a few mo¬ 
ments and then said: 

“ I know of only one way it may be done.” 

“ IIow’s that?” 

“ Bv purchasing his discharge. The insurgents 
are hard pressed for money, and if they think he 
is going to be laid up long they might let him 
off for a small price.” 




224 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ I’ll go and see Admiral Da Gama at once,” 
said the captain. 

“ I wouldn’t go personally if I were you. He 
will not feel very cordial towards the captain of 
the Alma. Is there no one who is on good 
terms with him who would do you an errand ?” 

“ Ho, not one — but wait! Yes, there is; 
there’s Lieutenant Bennos, of the Aquidaban , 
my nephew’s good friend.” 

“ Just the man,” said the commander. 

“ But about my son ; can’t I buy his dis¬ 
charge, too ?” 

“ Ho, I fear not while he is under sentence of 
death. There is a big difference between a dis¬ 
abled officer and a condemned seaman.” 

“ What’s to be done, sir ? My boy—my boy 
—he must be saved!” 

“ Captain Lockwood, I shall go at once and 
lay this case before Admiral Benham. His in¬ 
fluence, I am sure, will be sufficient to get the 
sentence commuted. This rebellion cannot last 
much longer, and if we can save the boy’s life, 
you’ll be able to get him away to America when 
this silly war ends.” 

“ God bless } 7 ou, sir,” said Captain Lockwood, 
in a voice shaken with emotion, as he shook the 
officer’s hand warmly and left the cabin. 



CHAPTER XXXII 


A REBELLION IN COLLAPSE 

Commander Brownson did not altogether over¬ 
estimate the value of Admiral Benham’s influ¬ 
ence, yet the commander of the American fleet 
could get from the insurgent chief no further 
assurance than that Robert Lockwood’s life 
would be spared for the present. Admiral Da 
Gama added that if he Anally decided to exe¬ 
cute the condemned boy he would give the 
American admiral due warning. It may well be 
understood that this condition of affairs put Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood and his daughter into a fever of 
agonizing anxiety. Yet the American skipper 
was a man of great courage and energy, and he 
did not relax his efforts to save both his son and 
his nephew. The result of his talk with Lieuten¬ 
ant Bennos was that the latter placed the matter 
before his own commanding officer, without 
whose sanction he could not have applied to 
Admiral Da Gama. The captain of the Aquida- 
ban listened with patience, and, somewhat to the 

15 





226 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


surprise of Bennos, offered no objection to his 
proposition. 

“It may as well be done now as later,” he 
said, reflectively; “ and the admiral will be very 
glad to get the money.” 

Accordingly Bennos visited the Libertade and 
laid the proposal of Captain Lockwood before 
the admiral. 

“It is a matter of no great importance now,” 
said Da Gama. 

“ Then I am to understand that you will sell 
the discharge of Frank Lockwood?” 

“ Yes, you may tell Captain Lockwood that I 
will accept his money and release the boy.” 

Bennos lost no time in conveying the joyful 
news to the American skipper, who promptly 
paid the sum agreed upon and received a writ¬ 
ten acknowledgment, together with a formal 
discharge of Frank. The next step was to se¬ 
cure the safe removal of the cadet from the 
Aquidaban to the Alma. This was by no 
means an easy task, for Frank was quite unable 
to leave his cot. It was necessary to wait a day 
or two until the weather was perfectly suitable. 
Then a cot was set up in the cabin of the Alma , 
and a stretcher which could be hoisted by a 
tackle was prepared. This stretcher was taken 
in the Alma's long-boat to the Aquidaban. 


A REBELLION IN COLLAPSE 


227 


Frank was placed in it and carried on deck, and 
thence he was lowered into the boat. Arriving 
alongside the Alma he was hoisted aboard, and 
after the tackle was cast off he was carried 
below and put in the cot. He was greatly fa¬ 
tigued by the transfer, and for some hours he 
was inclined to be feverish. But finally youth 
and hope conquered, and he began to mend 
again. 

“ Uncle Hiram,” he said, “ I owe you a debt 
of gratitude which I can never repay.” 

“ Don’t think about that, Frank.” 

“I can’t help it, Uncle Hiram. If I hadn’t 
been foolish enough to enlist in this service—” 

“ I might never have found my boy, for it 
was you that put us on his track.” 

“ But that did so little good.” 

“ Nonsense, Frank. His life is spared for the 
present, and I haven’t given up all hope of sav¬ 
ing him by any means.” 

“Well, you’ve saved my life, sir.” 

“ That’s putting it pretty strong, Frank.” 

“The doctor on the Aquidaban said you 
would live,” added Minnie. 

“ That may be so,” said the boy; “ but I’m 
sure I should have died if I’d had to stay in 
that service any longer.” 

The next day the two cadets on the Detroit 



228 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


obtained permission to visit their friend. They 
sat by his cot for an hour and told him all that 
was going on in the American fleet. 

“ Watkins, Gleason, Briggs, and Brown have 
received orders to report for their final exami¬ 
nation,” said Hal. 

“ Yes, and they’re going to New York by the 
steamer that sails to-morrow,” said George. 

Boom! 

The thundering echo of a great gun rolled up 
the bay. 

“ What’s that ?” asked the wounded boy. 

“ Oh, Frank !” exclaimed Minnie, running into 
the cabin, “ the Aquidaban and the Bepublica 
are going out and the forts are firing upon them. 
I’m so glad you are not aboard.” 

“ But Bob!” exclaimed Captain Lockwood, 
springing to his feet. “ What ’ll become of him ?” 

“ Let us go to Da Gama at once,” cried Hal, 
hastening on deck, followed by the captain and 
George. 

“A boat’s cornin’ from the San Francisco , 
sir,” said Mr. Ball. 

In a few minutes a cadet from the flag-ship 
boarded the Alma. He had been sent to tell 
Captain Lockwood that Admiral Benham, hear¬ 
ing that Da Gama and Mello had quarrelled and 
that the Aquidaban and Bepublica were going 




A REBELLION IN COLLAPSE 


229 


south to engage in a vain attempt to carry 
on the rebellion on their own account, had 
sent a peremptory demand to Mello to know 
what was to be done with Robert Lockwood. 
The reply was that he had been surrendered 
to Admiral Da Gama. That commander had 
flatly refused to give any information further 
than to say that the boy was aboard one of his 
ships. 

“ I’ll go and see him,” said Captain Lock- 
wood. 

The cadets returned to their ships, and the 
American merchant captain visited the Libertade. 
But it was in vain, for he learned nothing. But 
Admiral Da Gama repeated his promise to send 
word to Admiral Benham as to any future treat¬ 
ment of Robert. Two days later George and 
Harold tumbled aboard the Alma with flushed 
faces. 

“ Old man,” said Harold, “ we’ve news for 
you.” 

“ Yes,” exclaimed George, “it’s all over.” 

“ What is all over?” 

“ The insurrection ?” 

“ Has Da Gama surrendered ?” 

“ No, but he has done something worse.” 

“ What ?” 

“ He has fled,” said George. 






230 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“Yes,” said Harold, “lie has taken refuge on 
the Portuguese war-ships.” 

“ And the government fleet is about to come 
up the bay.” 

At that moment the sound of heavy firing 
broke upon the air. 

“ Hurrah!” cried George. “ The fun’s begun.” 

“ Oh!” exclaimed Frank, “ I wish I could see 
it. May I, uncle ? The doctor said I might sit 
up a little to-day.” 

“ But I don’t believe the excitement would be 
safe.” 

Minnie came and looked eagerly into her 
cousin’s face. 

“ I am sure it w T ould do him good, father,” she 
said. 

“ Well, let’s try it.” 

Harold and George brought a steamer-chair 
to the side of the cot, filled it with pillow T s and 
blankets, lifted Frank into it, and carried him 
on deck, where they stood beside him. The scene 
that met their eyes was inspiring. The batter¬ 
ies which President Peixoto had been planting 
on the hills had opened fire on the insurgent 
forts. Bursts of flame, followed by clouds of 
white smoke, were springing from the mountains 
as if they had all suddenly been transformed 
into volcanoes in active eruption. Crest echoed to 































A REBELLION IN COLLAPSE 


231 


crest with the roar and rumble of artillery. From 
the insurgent forts arose clouds of dust as the 
shells fell and exploded within their walls. Out 
from behind Sugar Loaf, in a stately procession 
of single column, steamed the government fleet. 
The frowning Niciheroy , with her huge dyna¬ 
mite gun pointing like a titanic finger over her 
bow, led the way. Following in her wake were 
the America and the other ships, while the agile 
torpedo-boats spread out like skirmishers on the 
wings. Every vessel flew her bravest holiday 
bunting. The shores were lined with excited 
thousands, whose glad cheers rang loudly across 
the waters. But the insurgent ships and forts 
were as silent as graves. And when, a little later, 
President Peixoto’s forces boarded the vessels 
and entered the forts, they found them utterly 
deserted. The rebellion in Bio Harbor had ut¬ 
terly collapsed. 

Utterly deserted is not strictly true. On the 
poop-deck of the old Tamandare stood a single 
man. As the Niciheroy swept grandly past, this 
man hoisted the Brazilian flag to the peak and 
fired a shot from a musket. As a result his ship 
was boarded first, and a few minutes later the 
cutter from the Nictheroy shoved off again and 
headed towards the Alma. 

“ They’re coming right this way,” said Hal. 





232 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ And there’s a man standing up in the boat 
and waving his hands,” said Minnie. 

“ I may be weak and sick,” said Frank, in an 
excited tone, “ but I can see. That looks like 
Bob!” 





'"CHAPTER XXXIII 


AT SEA ONCE MORE 

The boat came speeding up to the starboard 
side of the Alma. There was no longer any 
doubt that the excited young man was Robert 
Lockwood, and in a few seconds he was aboard 
the bark and in his father’s arms. It was a 
deeply happy meeting for all concerned, and 
none of them were ashamed to be seen wiping 
the tears from their eyes. 

“ You are free and safe, my boy,” said Cap¬ 
tain Lockwood. “ How did it all happen ?” 

“ It’s simple enough, father,” replied Robert. 
“When the Tamandards people received Ad¬ 
miral Da Gama’s order to abandon ship and take 
refuge on the Portuguese man-of-war, there was a 
scene of wild confusion. There never was good 
discipline among the insurgents, and then there 
was none at all. I felt sure that they wouldn’t 
stop to muster the crew, so I just dropped down 
into the fore-peak and kept quiet till they had 
all gone. After that I tried in a dozen ways to 
attract your attention, but of course you sup- 


234 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


posed that the ship’s company was still aboard, 
and so you paid no attention. When I saw the 
Niciheroy coming up, I knew my chance was at 
hand. I succeeded in getting her to send a boat, 
and of course as more than half her officers are 
Americans, I had the good-luck to fall in with 
this gentleman, Lieutenant Hunt, and he brought 
me here.” 

Captain Lockwood warmly thanked the Amer¬ 
ican, who now returned to his ship. Robert 
turned and shook hands once more with his 
cousin. 

“ Frank, old man,” he said, “ I don’t know 
how to tell you of my grief at your being 
wounded. If it hadn’t been for me, you’d never 
have come down here and enlisted.” 

“ I can’t say that, Bob, I can’t say that. I 
was wild for active service, and I hadn’t sense 
enough to see that in a foreign navy I ran the 
risk of being brought to quarters against the flag 
of my own country. It’s been a terrible lesson 
to me. I’m afraid I should have come even if 
you hadn’t been here, and now look at me. Out 
of the service, and stranded by the failure of this 
miserable rebellion.” 

“ Cheer up, Frank,” said Hal. “ I know it’s 
been hard, but I’m sure it was all for your 
good.” 




AT SEA ONCE MORE 


235 


“Yes, I think that. I’m much changed, I be¬ 
lieve.” 

“ And so am I,” said Kobert. “ Father, I ask 
your forgiveness for what I’ve done, and I prom¬ 
ise you that from this time out I’ll be guided by 
your wisdom.” 

“ Then all this struggle hasn’t been for noth¬ 
ing,” said Captain Lockwood. 

Two or three days later Harold and George 
again visited the Alina , bringing Peter with 
them. 

“We have come to say good-bye, Frank,” said 
Hal. 

“ You are going home ?” 

“ Yes; the Detroit has been ordered to Nor¬ 
folk. The whole fleet will be scattered in a little 
while,” said George. 

“God bless you, fellows! I wish I were go¬ 
ing with you.” 

“Well, it won’t be long before you follow,” 
said Captain Lockwood. “ My anchor has 
rusted in Bio mud long enough. I am going 
back to that precious wharf now and get my 
cargo.” 

“ And then ?” asked George. 

“ And then,” replied Captain Lockwood, “ I’m 
going to set sail for the land of civilization. The 
doctor says that Frank will improve at a twenty- 


236 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


knot gait now, and in less than a week I hope 
to be under way for New York.” 

“ Hurrah for Central Park and the circus and 
Coney Island!” cried George. “Oh, Frank, I 
wish I were going with you.” 

“We may all meet sooner thaA we expect,” 
said Frank. “ You know we had no idea that 
we should come together down here.” 

The two cadets shook hands with their friends, 
and Captain Lockwood called Peter up out of 
the boat. 

“ Shake hands, my lad,” he said; “ an honest 
seaman’s grip is what you will give and what you 
will get.” 

“ Thank ye, sir,” said Peter, “ an’ a werry fair 
wind an’ a safe landfall to all of ye wherever 
you’re bound in this ’ere world, w’ich the same, 
as my father used to say, it are a werry good 
world, takin’ it by an’ large, alius perwidin’ that 
you steers a fair course.” 

When the Detroit passed out of the harbor the 
Alma and the other American merchant ships 
saluted her with every mark of respect. And 
now Captain Lockwood hastened his prepara¬ 
tions for departure. Eobert busied himself 
about the deck, and showed that he had already 
learned a good deal of the duty of a seaman. 
As for Frank, he picked up strength hand over 





AT SEA ONCE MORE 


237 


hand, and by the time the bark moved out to an 
anchorage again he was as well as he had ever 
been in his life. He was in the best of spirits, 
too. He was gentle and full of fun with his 
fair young cousin, whose affection for him was 
deepening every day. He was full of manly re¬ 
gard for his uncle and of honest gratitude tow¬ 
ards him. His happiness manifested itself in 
many ways, but chiefly in buoyant activity. He 
sprang about the deck, lending a hand in the 
work of preparing the bark for sea, and his skill 
and readiness filled Captain Lockwood’s heart 
with pride. 

“ A born sailor, that boy!” he exclaimed. 

“ Yes, sir,” Mr. Ball responded; “ both of ’em, 
and fit to command a ship.” 

“ Ho, I’d hardly say that about Bob,” said the 
captain, “ and I don’t care to have him so, either. 
But Frank certainly is.” 

It happened that two days before the bark 
was to sail Captain Lockwood’s second mate left 
him to take a suddenly offered berth aboard a 
steamer. The captain was glad of it. 

“What do you say, Frank?” he cried; “will 
you serve as my second mate on the voyage 
home ?” 

“ Will I! Why, Uncle Hiram, I’ll be only too 
glad.” 


238 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Then second mate of the Alma you are, my 
boy,” said the old skipper, striking his horny 
palm into that of his nephew with a resounding 
slap. 

The morning chosen for the AlmcCs departure 
was bright and beautiful, with a brisk southwest¬ 
erly wind blowing. Captain Lockwood had in¬ 
structed Frank as to the authority and responsi¬ 
bilities of a second mate of a merchantman, and 
the boy knew just what he had to do. Fold 
after fold of the AlmcCs creamy canvas fell to its 
length and was sheeted home, while Captain 
Lockwood ordered the helm a-starboard, and the 
anchor cleared the ground as the jib rose from 
its boom. The Alma leaned gently over to 
port, and began to glide away towards the nar¬ 
row entrance of the harbor, beyond which the 
rich blue of the South Atlantic spread a living 
carpet for her tread. 

“ Get a pull on the fore and main braces!” 
called the captain. 

“ Aye, aye, sir,” answered Frank’s fresh young 
voice, as the boy led his men to their work. 
“ Now, my bullies, bowse her down.” 

“Born sailor, that boy,” said Captain Lock- 
wood, half aloud. 

“And fit to command a ship,’’murmured Minnie, 
echoing the favorite sentiment of the first mate. 


AT SEA ONCE MORE 


239 


The bark was on a taut bowline and turning 
the lucent blue into streaks of silver as she 
smoked out past Fort Santa Cruz. 

“ No one to fire on us going out,” said the 
captain. 

“ And I am as free as a flying-fish,” laughed 
Bob. 

“ I should think so,” said Minnie. “ They 
must be glad to get rid of us all.” 

“ Poor wretches !” exclaimed her father, think¬ 
ing of the insurgents, sick and wounded, penned 
up on the Portuguese war-ships. 

“ And I might have been one of them,” said 
Frank. 

The young second mate had the first dog¬ 
watch, and both Captain Lockwood and Mr. Ball 
studiously avoided the deck, and allowed the boy 
full command. There was little or nothing for 
him to do, except to heave the log and keep the 
record. In that work, however, he could have 
given instruction to both the older seamen, for 
he was an expert navigator. Minnie was on 
hand to watch him at his duties, and she was of 
the opinion that he was the finest young officer 
she had ever seen. 

“ The lad ’ll have the first watch,” said Mr. 
Ball. 

“ Yes,” said the captain, “and I shouldn’t be 


240 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


surprised if he had a chance to show what he 
knows. These southwesterly winds often fresh¬ 
en at night in these latitudes.” 

As for Frank, he had already detected signs of 
growing strength in the breeze, but the Alma 
was a great sail-carrier, and it did not take him 
long to find it out. Nearly through the first 
dog-watch he let her boil through it with her 
royals on, but at the last moment he decided 
that though she could carry them she would do 
as well without them. So he sung out: 

“ Aloft to furl royals! Man the royal clew¬ 
lines, flying-jib downhaul! Haul taut! In roy¬ 
als, down flying-jib! Furl the royals! Stow 
the flying-jib!” 

“ Listen to him,” said Captain Lockwood, 
in the cabin. “ He’s doing it in man-o’-war 
style.” 

“ Bless you, sir, he’ll soon get over that. You 
see, he knows how to do it, anyhow.” 

The sailors by this time knew that their young 
second mate was a thorough seaman, and they 
obeyed him with a will. When Frank went on 
deck again for the first watch he found that the 
wind was gaining in power all the time, and that 
Mr. Ball had furled the top-gallants. An hour 
later the boy decided that the courses ought to 
be taken in, so he sent word to the captain, who 


AT SEA ONCE MORE 


241 


at once came on deck and gave the necessary 
orders. It now became Frank’s duty to go aloft 
and take the bunt of the main-sail. If he had 
shown any lack of strength or skill it would 
have been no great disgrace, for second mates 
are not always the best sailors. But the sea¬ 
men who lay out on the main-yard with Frank 
found that the Annapolis training was sound. 
The boy knew his business, and had plenty of 
strength. The sail was taken in with neatness 
and despatch. 

“Well done, Frank!” shouted the captain, 
when the boy regained the deck. 

“Oh, Uncle Hiram,” he said, “I feel as if I 
could haul up the main-topsail reef-tackle of an 
old-time line-of-battle ship all by myself.” 

“You do?” 

“Yes, sir. I am no longer in the service of 
a foreign power. I’ve got an American keel 
under me, and I’m bound for an American 
port.” 

“ I’m glad you’re so happy, my boy.” 

“ Happy! Bless you, Uncle Hiram, I’m over¬ 
joyed. I feel that I am going back to Hew York 
to begin life over again; to take it up where I 
made the false start, and to try to do better. 
I’ve learned my lesson, sir, and I’ll not forget it. 
Go it, old bark! You’re making a dozen knots 
16 


242 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


an hour, and takiug one fellow away from the 
scene of his greatest folly.” 

“ Two, Frank,” said Robert, taking his cousin’s 
hand. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 


A HAPPY REUNION 

A year had passed since the events related in 
the opening chapter of this story. The brave 
American fleet which had assembled in the har¬ 
bor of Rio de Janeiro to protect the interests of 
United States citizens had scattered far and wide. 
The San Francisco had gone to Nicaragua, where 
internal dissensions placed Americans in jeop¬ 
ardy, and she had in a short time been followed 
by the armored cruiser New York. The Detroit 
had gone back to the navy-yard at Norfolk, 
whence she had set forth with our two young 
friends on their first cruise in the active service 
of the flag, and the good little ship was under¬ 
going needed repairs. The Alma had reached 
New York after a quick passage, discharged her 
cargo, and made a short voyage to Halifax and 
back. Mr. Ball had resigned his post for a com¬ 
fortable berth ashore, and Frank had been pro¬ 
moted to the position of first mate. He had 
learned to like the merchant service, and, seeing 
no other vocation open to him at the time, had 


244 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


gratefully accepted the appointment from his 
uncle. Robert, steadied by his own unhappy ex¬ 
perience, had yielded to his father’s wish that he 
should remain ashore, and was now a clerk in the 
captain’s olfice, with a fine prospect of succeed¬ 
ing to his father’s business. 

The bark was tying at a wharf on the East 
River front, preparing for a new voyage to South 
American ports, with Rio de Janeiro as her final 
destination. Frank was as busy as a bee super¬ 
intending the preparations. Captain Lockwood 
was aboard the vessel, but he contented himself 
with sitting in the cabin or in a big chair under 
an awning spread over the quarter-deck, for an 
old enemy, rheumatism, the result of many years 
of exposure to wind and rain, had possession of 
him. Minnie had come down from the house, 
and it had been decided that they should all 
dine aboard the bark. Suddenly the clatter of 
rapidly approaching footsteps was heard, and a 
voice sang out from the wharf : 

“ Aboard the Alma /” 

Frank turned his head, and to his great sur¬ 
prise and joy saw Harold King, George Bris- 
comb, and Peter Morris standing opposite the 
vessel waving their hats. The cadets were in 
civilian clothing, but every movement betokened 
their familiarity with salt water. 



A HAPPY REUNION 


245 


“Hello, fellows!” shouted Frank. “ Come 
aboard!” 

The boys sprang up the gang-plank and threw 
their arms around Frank. 

“ God bless you, old man!” said Harold. “ How 
well you look!” 

“ I should say so,” said George. “ You don’t 
look like the ghost we left in Rio Harbor.” 

“ Beggin’ your pardon, sir,” said Peter, “ but 
you looks like you owned most o’ the East River 
an’ could borrow the North without givin’ no 
security.” 

“ Where’s the captain?” asked Hal. 

“ And your pretty cousin?” added George. 

“ They’re both in the cabin.” 

“ Let’s give them a surprise, Hal,” said George. 

The next minute the two boys tumbled into 
the cabin like two young bears. 

“ How are you, captain ?” cried George, seiz¬ 
ing the mariner’s big hand and shaking it en¬ 
thusiastically. 

“Avast there, boy ; I’ve got the rheumatics!” 
cried the seaman, laughing in spite of the twinges. 

“ And how’s the sailor girl ?” demanded George. 

“ Oh, we’re all well and happy,” said Minnie, 
flushed with excitement and pleasure at the 
meeting. 

“ Did you see Frank ?” asked the captain. 


246 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ Yes, we certainly did,” answered Hal. 

“ And did yon notice what he was up to ?” 

“ Seemed to me to be a sort of rear-admiral 
of the whole business,” said George. 

“ He’s my first mate,” said the captain, proud- 

iy- 

“ You don’t mean it!” exclaimed Hal, with a 
delighted face. 

“ Yes, and a better one I never had,” declared 
the captain, emphatically. 

“ That’s fine news,” said the cadet. 

“ And now I want you boys to stay and have 
dinner with us,” said the captain. 

“ Aboard the Alma f ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Well, sir, there’s nothing in the world could 
give us greater pleasure at this minute,” ex¬ 
claimed Hal. 

“ Minnie, girl, you go and tell Kibo that we’re 
going to have a dinner-party, and we want the 
best he can set out, because it’s the chief mate’s 
birthday.” 

“ Frank’s birthday ?” cried the young men. 

“ Yes, he’s twenty-one to-day, and it’s going to 
be a red-letter day.” 

“ Let’s go and congratulate him,” said George. 

The two boys bounded out on deck and shook 
Frank’s hand till he was sore. 


A HAPPY REUNION 


247 


“We wish you many happy returns of the 
day, old man.” 

“Thank you, fellows. I’d like it to come 
pretty often if it would bring you with it.” 

Then the two young men ran back to the cabin 
and shook hands with the captain, and congratu¬ 
lated him on having such a good fellow as Frank 
for a nephew. 

“ He is a good boy and a fine seaman, and that 
unhappy experience of his in the Brazilian in¬ 
surgent navy has steadied and made a man 
of him.” 

An hour passed and Kibo, the cook, had the 
dinner ready. Bobert had been sent for and was 
heartily greeted by the cadets. In some mys¬ 
terious way, which could be attributed only- to 
Minnie, some pretty flowers appeared on the 
table, and the cabin was filled with the perfume 
of summer and youth. Seated at the head of 
his generous board, Captain Lockwood had a 
beneficent smile. 

“ Children,” he said, “ I’m free to say this is 
one of the brightest days I’ve known in a rea¬ 
sonably prosperous life. I’m about to propose 
the health of my dear nephew.” 

“Hear, hear!” shouted Peter, who had not 
been left out of the happy gathering. 

“ What I desire to do,” continued the captain, 


248 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


“ is to have my two boys—for Frank’s as good 
as a son to me—” 

“ And a brother to me,” said Bob. 

“ Don’t interrupt,” said the captain. “ I want 
these two boys to carry on my business after 
I’m a sheer hulk. So, Bob, I’d like to know if 
you’re willing to have me give Frank an interest 
in the business ?” 

“ Yes, and a big one, too,” said Bob, heartily. 

“No, no; share and share alike. From this 
day you each have half.” 

“ Oh, Uncle Hiram!” exclaimed Frank. 

“ Hear, hear!” shouted Peter, again. 

“ Avast there, my hearty,” said the captain, 
laughing. “ I’m getting along in years, and I’ve 
got rheumatism, and I guess I’d better stay 
ashore after this. So I want you all to stand 
up and give three cheers for the youngest mer¬ 
chant skipper in America, Captain Frank Lock- 
wood, of the bark Alma” 

“ Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” shouted the two 
boys. 

For a few seconds Frank was pale and silent. 
Then he said : 

“Uncle Hiram, do you put me in command of 
this bark?” 

“ Yes, and you’re the only member of her com¬ 
pany that didn’t know it till this minute.” 



KUN IT UP,’ 


)} 


u t 


SAID FRANK 




















A HAPPY REUNION 


249 


“ Let us go on deck,” said Frank, gravely. 

They passed out of the cabin, and the crew, 
knowing what had happened, gave Frank a cheer. 
He lifted his cap, and said: 

“ Quartermaster, get the ensign and bend it on 
the halyards.” 

The order was obeyed. 

“Kun it up,” said Frank, taking off his cap 
and facing aft, while the others imitated him. 

When the flag reached the peak of the spanker- 
gaff he put on his cap, turned, and wrung his 
uncle’s hand. 

“ Uncle Hiram,” he said, “ I’ll do my best to 
deserve the trust you have reposed in me. Every 
morning at eight bells that flag will go up, and 
every evening at sunset it will come down, and 
as I shall never again be unfaithful to it, so I 
shall never be unfaithful to you.” 

He turned to the two cadets and grasped their 
hands. 

“ Fellows, you’ve been real friends. Hal, if 
I’d been as cool and steady as you I’d never have 
turned my back on the flag.” 

“ But you’ve had your punishment, old man, 
and now the future is bright before you.” 

“Bob,” said Frank, turning and clasping his 
cousin’s hand, “you and I have got a good deal 
more than we deserve, but we’ll try to make 



250 


AFLOAT WITH THE FLAG 


your father feel that he’s done wisely, won’t 
we ?” 

“ That we will,” replied Bob. 

And then Minnie, with her eyes full of tears, 
ran up and kissed both of them. 

“ Jee-whiz!” exclaimed Peter; “ as my mother 
used to say w'en she were eat in’ huckleberry 
pie, ‘ This ’ere’s good ’nuff fur me.’ ” 


XHE^END 



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The Country of the 
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Wild Life Under the 
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My Apingi Kingdom. 

Lost in the Jungle. 


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